Serpent's Revenge
by The Potters of the Future
Summary: It's Alex' last year of school having just turned eighteen will he survive with a traitor within MI6 itself and an attack on Brookland Comprehensive Alex must go undercover into the underworld of Scorpia.
1. Musings of a Headmaster

Musings of a Headmaster

Mr Brey was both nervous and excited. He knew that the were going to get financial support that the school would be getting from Desmond 'Dez' Crane of Crane's Corporation (CC).

Brookland Comprehensive had been struggling with costs for a few years now since the strange fire four years ago. Though, strangely they were bailed out by an unknown government branch with a long, boring name. Something to do with national home and health economics.

But then the recession hit.

The school had come to closing several times just to be bailed out at last minute by the government. Mr Brey had checked with several other schools but nothing of the sort had happened to them. He knew for a fact that Riverside High had shut and they were in a better situation the Brookland.

Looking around across the lunch hall his eyes caught a table of eleven seniors, graduating in a few months. There was the tall, black athletics girl; Gillian Russell who was arm in arm with a smirking silver haired boy was pale as Gil was dark who let off an air of unmistakable arrogance; Daniel Aaronson. Gill's best friends sat on the other side of the table; Hattie Dawson mousy hair tied back in a schrunchy wither her Physics Text Book laid out and dark blonde Dawn Craig ever the peace maker between the two girls. Then there was Luiza Lettie, the Brazilian new girl. She was accompanied by three rugby players desperately wanting her: Ryan Greet the hulking blonde, Blare Rooney the brunette, and Aiden Sneddon. Dark haired James Hale and little Tom Harris beaming as usual despite his parents' messy divorce. Henry Brey had taken active interest in supporting Tom through that troubled time four years ago. Then at the very end of the table was a dark eyed, blonde haired boy.

Alex Rider. That boy was a mystery to all. Not that you could call him a boy; it was his eighteenth birthday. Not that his outlook had changed since he had returned to school a month ago. Ever since Alex' uncle had died almost four years ago Alex would be absent from school for anything from an afternoon to months. There were from drugs to criminal behaviour to gangs.

Mr Brey wasn't sure what to think. But since the poisoning, Henry shuddered at the memory, he knew there was something else going on he just had no idea what. Before Ian Rider's death he would never have believed it but every time Alex would come back with scars and bruises to match his absences and a hard, cold look in his eyes as though he had seen too much. At first he thought his American guardian, Jack Starbright, was abusing him but after her car crash the boy's eyes held such grief that he knew this was not true. The bruises and absences didn't stop with his new guardian – Benjamin Daniel or when he decided to live alone at sixteen.

He remembered the day when he had asked what Alex had been doing when away.

_Mr Brey was watching the pupils in Brookland mill around the grass. They were laughing and chattering amongst themselves in a fit of end of term high spirits._

_Except one boy who was sitting under the shade of a tall, oak tree – Alex Rider. He had an arm in a sling and a scratch across his cheek. He had a book in his working left arm but his eyes were observing the scene as if he didn't belong there. Mr Brey had the distinct feeling that he didn't want to be disturbed. He knew his guardian had died in a tragic car accident, much like his uncle; apparently there was something wrong with the fuse wires. He wondered if this is what was upsetting Alex. He hoped Ben Daniels was helping him._

_This was backed up by the fact that Tom Harris, Alex' best and only friend kept shooting the blonde teen worried looks. Something which from the small frown Alex was wearing he wasn't oblivious to. Mr Brey wondered whether anything went on anywhere which Alex was oblivious to – he always seemed to know too much. This was something unusual in usually ignorant school children. But that was Alex all over – unusual._

_Mr Brey wasn't a nervous man but in all matters concerning Alex Rider he was decidedly wary. He often wondered why this was. There was something about the fifteen year old's aura that radiated confidence, power and danger. It was as if he was a lethal weapon and saying the wrong thing would be a death sentence. Mr Brey. The headmaster didn't realise how right he was but soon would._

_Ignoring this fact Mr Brey went and sat beside the teen, hoping to give off a comforting presence by the look Alex was giving his book it hadn't worked._

'_Hello Mr Brey,' said Alex calmly startling the older man. The teenaged boy studied his headmaster from behind his blonde fringe ignoring the interest everyone was giving the two. Tom had thought this would happen eventually but hoped that it wouldn't be this soon and his friend wouldn't kill him. Eyes unblinking, the dark irises looking wary and far too serious for a teenager. For the umpteenth time Henry Brey wondered what had happened to make them like that so decided now was as good as ever to ask the boy. Alex seemed to realise this as did Tom who hoped that Alex' more deadly side wouldn't come out __**too**__ strongly knowing Alex could all too easily kill._

'_Hello Alex,' said Mr Brey looking a bit apprehensive. Seeing this Alex smiled at the man chuckling softly making Henry Brey this was the first act of relaxation Alex had seen since the news had came of Miss Starbright's death. Maybe Alex was finally healing._

'_Did you want something?' Alex asked in a unnervingly calm voice, straight to the point as always._

_Mr Brey gulped this wasn't going as he'd hoped but then again nothing with Alex Rider ever did, 'un … yes … where do you go when you're not at school?' stuttered Mr Brey cringing at the eloquence of his question. Alex looked amused at his fear. Who was this boy?_

'_I'm ill a lot,' Alex looked embarrassed. 'I have a weak immune system something about the stress of my uncle's death caused me to contract an illness. My doctors at St Dominic's are trying to figure out what's wrong but …' Alex sighed looking very worried._

'_There's something else going on!' Mr Brey tried to have one last stab at figuring out what was going on with his student thinking of the poisoning attempt._

'_What?' asked Alex sharply glaring at the teacher glaring at the teacher with a look that had made the most hardened criminals and soldiers want to run the other way the poor headmaster didn't know what had hit him but knowing he was a hurting student Mr Brey wanted to try and help him once more but couldn't._

_Mr Brey didn't answer. Mr Brey couldn't answer. The whole school held their breaths at the obvious confrontation by school bad boy and headmaster who looked frozen in his spot._

'_If we're done here I have to catch up on my English,' Alex said contemptuously with a look that said I know more than you._

_Alex returned to his book. But unfortunately Mr Brey, who'd got his courage back when Alex wasn't glaring at him murderously, wasn't finished with his young charge. Alex looked like he was about to murder the teacher._

'_Your eyes have a look that you've seen too much!' Mr Brey said and everyone at the school year seemed to agree with this. Tom sighed sadly looking like he wished this wasn't true._

'_Oh yeah!' Alex changed raising an eyebrow skilfully as his uncle had taught him when he was ten, 'like what?' he seemed to know this was unanswerable question as he was smiling smugly and arrogantly._

_Mr Brey had no answer for that one and by Alex' expression he was well aware of that fact. He swore to himself he would find out one day. He did research upon research but nothing turned up._

'_What about your arm?' he challenged trying not to squirm at the look Alex was now giving him heated and conniving._

'_Fell down the stairs,' shrugged Alex all too calmly. Mr Brey didn't believe this for a second – Alex Rider was many things but clumsy was not one of them. Everyone looking on knew this too and some snorted. Tom shook his head at his friend's lie surely a spy would be able to come up with a better lie than that._

'_Why don't you prove it!' hissed Alex. He as well as everyone else knew that no one would be able to do this but that didn't stop the headmaster from trying he wanted to help all his pupils especially those in bother like Alex. 'You can't,' Alex voiced what everyone was thinking, 'but if you dare say anything like this again I will personally see to it you are no longer my headmaster.' Henry Brey wondered if he meant that he would leave Brookland, which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing or make Henry no longer the headmaster. Then he wondered whether Alex could do this. He shuddered at the thought of any fifteen year old having that much power. Tom winced knowing his friend could do as much._

_The boy got up to stand by the gate never and everyone else returned to their conversations whispering excitedly about the exchange. Alex seemed all to calm about this. Just who was Alex Rider? Alex didn't take his eyes off Mr Brey until the bell went. It was as though he was daring him to approach again but Mr Brey had had enough stress and fear to last a lifetime from Alex Rider. But his stress and fear was nothing to Alex' life. Not that he knew this only Tom and Sabina were aware of this. They kept Alex somewhat human not even knowing they were doing it but at the same time his relationship with the two teens scared him. Sabina had been kidnapped once to get to him he hoped it would never happen again._

True he never asked again and feeling Alex' eyes upon him he knew they were thinking of the same thing. He returned to his conversation with Miss Mary Colum's (a maths teacher) wedding with an English teacher, Miss July Miller. He'd always found her name interesting and knew it was because of all the twelve children and mother, father and two grandparents she was the first not to be born in December so was named to commemorate this historic moment in their families history. He chuckled knowing a historic moment in his family was when his grandfather received the Victoria Cross in the first world war.


	2. Aprehension

Apprehension

Alex slipped out of bed at 4.59. He never had needed much sleep, even as a child (Ian had made sure of that), and the most he required then was seven. Most children had at least ten. Four years as a spy had taught him not to surrender to unconsciousness for any more than five hours; on missions considerably less. He would never fall asleep were expected after the events of Point Blanc where he was drugged and every part of him photographed. Alex grimaced at the memory.

Usually he would stay up learning ne languages or homework, he was already fluent in French, Italian, Spanish as Ian had taught him as a young child. As well as being fluent in German, Chinese, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, Polish and Greek. He was also learning several dialects of Arabic and Romanian. Last night he had practiced an Iraqi dialect of Arabic. Sometimes he would work on skills such as lock picking which had got him out of many fixes, safe cracking which had helped him two years ago, ninja, antidotes which he had picked up the initial skills with Scorpia or open university courses which he had acquired over the years. As in data, computing and information which he ha completed after turning sixteen and helped him with hacking, discovering psychology, which was completed a few months ago in the previous December, elements of forensic science was done when sixteen which allowed him to kill without leaving any evidence. Though he rarely used this preferring to capture rather than kill but sometime in his line of work it was inevitable that people died but it was only where it was kill or be killed not because he wanted them out of his way. Alex was no assassin.

In the morning, like this morning, Alex would makae himself a breakfast of fibrous cereals (today it was Bran Flakes) then go for a half an hour jog around the neighbourhood (with his weapons as always) until six. Where he would return home to do a work out of five hundred press ups and sit ups, a round on his bright red bunch bag. Practicing his judo which he'd started at fifteen and was now at a high skill level, boxing which he'd continued after his experience with the Snakehead and Ash he landed a particularly vicious punch on the bag at the memory of his turncoat _godfather _who had murdered his mother and father. He wondered what he would be doing if his parents had survived – not being a spy. He wondered what that would be like MI6 had been him since the age of fourteen he just couldn't live without it. He needed the adrenaline and the knowledge that he was saving other lives. Thinking of his classmates and knowing all those children would be dead if it wasn't for him filled him with accomplishment. With Blunt gone he even like his co-workers, especially Mrs Jones who was like a mother to him, Ben Daniels his partner and brother in all but blood. Tamara Knight from the CIA was a sister to him annoying at times but protective and always there for advice on anything from guns to girls. He didn't know what to think of Crawley he was nice but could never be counted as family or even as a friend but Alex had nothing against him. Alex chuckled at the prank he and Tamara had played on him involving drugging him, dressing him in a pink dress, Dorothy shoes and blonde wig complete with pink Alice band and over done make up. Then broadcasting it live to the rest of MI6, Mr Crawley's expression of fury was hilarious. Unfortunately for John Crawley there was no evidence of who had done it. But everyone knew. Mr Crawley raged at Joe Bryne whose smart idea it had been to put Alex, MI6's best operative, and Tamara, the CIA's best operative, together. Nobody had expected their friendship to take off like this alive with their pranks on both friends and foe alike showing their dangerous side which frightened all their bosses. Finally Alex would round off his physical training session with the karate he had been doing since he was five when Ian thought it was a good idea to start this aspect of his training that had been going on since before he could walk, and fighting techniques which he had used to get out of many tight spots.

Before pulling on his bullet proof school clothes which were regulation made by Smithers and leather belt which included two small guns which he never left the house without, a small knife which he'd never used, and a pair of numb chucks enough to knock a grown man out for eight hours, strapping on twin knives which were his favourite to use if necessary (one to his calf and one to his left arm for easy accessibility). Strolling out the door to his bullet proof, armoured, back jeep and arriving at school as the bell rang not giving any assassins to kill him before school began. Wow he was paranoid but then again what spy wasn't? The dead ones.

On this particular day his first lesson was Physics where he sat beside Tom who shared all his lessons bar Biology. Tom did chemistry, English and Physics hoping to be a chemistry teacher. Alex thought he would be good at this as Tom was a real people person and always helped Alex after returning to school after a particularly long mission. Whereas, Alex did Biology, chemistry and physics hoping to get into Cambridge medical school next year or at the very least oxford and with his connections he knew he could, no effort required. But Alex liked doing things on his own merit he just hoped he'd be able to pass with his extracurricular activities (MI6).

While everyone else avoided Alex because of the ever constant rumours about his involvement in drugs and gangs. If only they knew? Alex thought often. After all he'd saved their lives more times than he could count and they thought he was a bad boy. But many of the girls in Brookland thought that this was attractive but he didn't want them in danger by association and he wanted a girl who liked him for himself not the rumours. Like Sabina Alex found himself thinking. Sabina and he started going out after she returned to England to do Journalism in Cambridge last year. Maybe that was why Alex so desperately wanted to go to Cambridge. Tom would always jump to defend Alex though, whether he was around or not. Alex was pleased with this living life with one friend at school was bearable and the rest of Tom's group accepted most didn't believe the rumours but could tell they didn't trust him. For the second time that day he thought of Ash's words about how friendships didn't work when you had to lie all the time. What was wrong with him why did Ash suddenly keep popping into his head? Alex was very grateful of Tom's loyalty he didn't know what he would do without one friend.

Miss Miller the Physics teacher was giving the announcements as the teachers did first thing when she reminded the class of the donation from Crane's Corporation. Alex felt a little guilty knowing that he had exploded the science wing after fighting with his renegade clone – well Grief's surgically altered clone to look identical to him.

Alex' alarm bells started to ring. Which was never a good sign and Alex was too practiced in mortal danger not to work out that this wasn't something stupid it was danger. Coincidence or him? Him – Alex hadn't believed in coincidence as a child. One of Ian Rider's many lessons as a child when other children were being taught road safety Alex was being taught not to believe in coincidence. All he knew was that something felt off, very, very wrong he just couldn't work out what.

Alex went onto red alert trying to sense what was wrong. Only someone who really knew Alex, and there weren't many who did (here only Tom Harris), would be able to tell the difference; his muscles were tense as though readying for a fight which he probably was, he could pick out the minute details in his environment, hear the most irrelevant of sounds, his hairs stood on end. But to the casual observer there would be no change in the spy's physique. So no one in the class did anything. Tom, however, was no casual observer he'd been vest friends since they were three and wondered over to each other in nursery to play in the sand pit and this was the one friendship which continued when Alex entered into the world of espionage. Tom could feel Alex' tensions practically rolling off him and this worried him. If Tom had learned one thing about Alex it was that Alex being tense was a sure sign that something huge and dangerous was going on.

'Mate what's wrong?' murmured Tom worried about Alex and not really understanding what was going on with his best mate.

'The ceremony something's wrong I rely on my instincts too much in my line of work,' both boys knew this meant spying but anyone else thought it was Alex being a drug dealer. As much as this annoyed Alex it was better than them knowing the truth and placing them in the mortal peril Alex was in constantly it was worrying enough having Sabina and Tom knowing. Sabina had been kidnapped and Tom he'd told as a almost naïve fourteen year old, 'to ignore them,' Tom nodded even more worried than before at Alex' muttered words making sure they were quite enough not for the rest of the class to hear.

People avoided Alex more than normal for the rest of that day. Although they didn't know Alex like Tom knew the birthday boy they could all fee the fact that he was projecting a dangerous atmosphere far above the average Alex Rider teenage bad boy that he walked with his confidence. Even the teachers skirted away from him and his fan club walked the other way rather than trying to flirt with the bad boy.

At lunch he ate his usual protein meal, rice and chicken curry he'd made with army rations to chock it full of energy which he'd be glad of later, his eyes swivelled around the room warily looking for the danger. Everybody was chattering louder than normal; excited about missing the last two periods, in Alex' case double Biology, which he could do with and in Tom's English which he enjoyed heartily. This made Alex really annoyed that everyone else in the school was excited about an event which Alex knew without a shadow of the doubt would go wrong, very wrong.

Feeling someone's eyes upon the back of his neck as he had learned to feel this way after being under surveillance all the times he had been because of his job as a spy. Turning around to see Henry Brey the Headmaster of Brookand's eyes boring into him. That man was way too interested in Alex. Alex knew he was just concerned but he hated people being interested in his activities – they almost always wanted him dead and came bloody close to killing him. Ah well what was life without a little risk – a lot of risk. That was one of the perks of being a spy and he loved it, well the adrenaline rush, at least, the fear of death and torture not so much. But being a spy was so him he knew he'd never stop.

Their eyes met for a second and Mr Brey looked quickly away as though frightened which Alex thought he probably was.

Mr Brey knew there was more to Alex than met the eye he just didn't know what. Alex thought recalling the time when he was poisoned in the headmaster's office. Looking at Mr Brey he thought they were thinking of the same thing.

_Mr Brey had called Alex to discuss his grades at the end of Year Ten, he'd been absent for most of the year due to MI6 strange to think only just over a year ago he wouldn't have even known that his Uncle was a spy. A lot can change in a year mused Alex who now wanted nothing more than to become a fully qualified MI6 agent unlike a few months ago. Jack's murder had changed that. Alex was sitting on the soft, green chair opposite the usually laughing, jokey headmaster who was looking uncharacteristically serious. A bad sign. Alex had only seen him like this once before; just before he suspended Alex for a day._

'_Alex I don't know what's been happening in your life, I understand your uncle's death hit you hard, but skipping of school… I'm afraid I'll have to make you repeat the year, with grades like this. I can't expel you being under sixteen.'_

'_I understand your position, sir,' said Alex quietly, 'but I have a proposition for you. I stay in the year until the mocks next Christmas if I pass reasonably well then you'll let me stay.'_

_He gave the headmaster a cold; hard look that no fifteen year old should be able to pull of it was a sign of the loss of his innocence. The headmaster shuddered then nodded not wanting to disagree with the terrifying young man, 'that's fine.'_

_Alex would pass his mocks and GCSEs with nothing but A*s much to the thanks of his Japanese tutor, Sensei Fusao Sato, that MI6 had provided._

'_No why don't you have a drink of orange juice then you can go back to class,' reflecting back Alex should have realised something was wrong – Mr Brey never offered drinks to his children._

_Alex frowned, shooting Mr Brey a sharp look; he never usually gave his students juice after a meeting. But deciding that Mr Brey had gone through background checks he accepted._

_What Alex did not realise until later that before had a meeting with another headmaster who said he always gave his pupils a drink after a talking to in order to give them encouragements to do better. The real headmaster had been killed and replaced by a SCORPIA assassin hired to kill Alex. The assassin then gave Mr Brey a bottle of orange juice lased with arsenic._

_Alex took a small drink which had a strange sickly taste to it. Alex frowned where he had heard about this before._

_Alex quickly placed the drink down but it was too late he had already taken a mouthful of very concentrated arsenic._

_Mr Brey was watching Alex in faint concern, 'are you alright, Alex?'_

_In response Alex threw up all over Mr Brey's desk. Feeling slightly faint and his stomach clenching he realized that he'd been poisoned._

_Alex just managed to click his emergency telecom system in his ear piercing and choked out one word – 'poison …'_

_Idly noticing that Mr Brey had gone an awful grey colour, like lumpy porridge. Before fainting, while writhing on the floor._

_Unknown to Alex five minutes later Snake ran into the room pushed aside the panicked teacher who had been trying to resuscitate the blonde boy. Pulling up his jumper so Mr Brey could see scars on his toned belly Snake injected the synthesised chemicals into Alex' bloodstream._

_Mr Brey accompanied Alex and Snake to St. Dominic's, refusing to leave the boy alone, where Alex woke up a couple of hours of later much to the relief of the Headmaster, Alex' guardian (Ben) and his friends (K-Unit)._

Alex later asked Mr Brey not to mention the incident. He never did. Alex had the distinct impression he wanted to forget it had ever happened. Personally Alex didn't blame him this was a world away from his normally safe world.

Alex learned all about antidotes and poisons that year at SAS training and Smithers supplied him with a medical kit with antidotes which he kept on person at all times. At the present it was in his bag under his biology books, ironically.

As Alex continued to stare at Mr Brey he hastily turned away resuming his conversation with Miss Miller which Alex caught was about Miss Collum (soon to be Mrs Wright's) marriage.

Alex returned to scanning the room trying to figure out what the hell had him so on edge, he was never like this for no reason. But what the hell was the reason?


	3. The Unveiling

The Unveiling

After lunch all two thousand and eleven pupils and two hundred and three staff members filed into the auditorium.

If Alex had been on red alert before entering the auditorium he had bypassed infra-red and was now on full blown radio wave alert. Thinking of wave lengths, he really needed to get out more.

Ignoring Tom and Tom's friends he sat on the edge of the row ignoring the complaints of Mrs Finnigan the history teacher as she tried to sit in her seat reserved for teachers until Alex gave her such a look that she moved off grumbling.

Everyone began muttering to themselves at Alex Rider's, once again, abnormal behaviour. Alex was always the topic of gossip, when subjects for gossip were short and sometimes when there was plenty of gossip but Alex had just come back or was acting particularly strange – like today.

Only Tom and Mr Brey seemed concerned. Tom knew something was up if Alex' behaviour was anything to go by and knowing Alex' secret it was bad. Mr Brey didn't know the full story but knew Alex, when he was there, behaved perfectly. Remembering when he was poisoned he realised that Alex' disobedience was an indication of something major.

Up on the stage Mr Brey began talking; Alex too focused on working out what was wrong didn't list too much – at all. Until ….

A small, strawberry blonde man in a two-tailed black suit and matching bowler hat with a red ribbon around it in honour of Brookland's school colours. This wasn't what disturbed everyone; it was the fact that he was being led in by, Alex counted thirty, men in black ninja suits a silver scorpion adorned on their costumes.

SCORPIA thought Alex wryly ignoring the twinge in his bullet wound.

Alex knew things were going to get mess fast, the always did when Scorpia was involved. Tapping his ear ring com he began speaking a low, fast; cool terms that he only used for business. Only Mrs Finnigan beside him heard and the look she was giving him was worried and sympathetic. Clearly she thought the stress and the fear had cracked him. Maybe he believed the rumours that he was mentally unstable and this just didn't help.

'Situation Three. Thirty armed hostiles. Two thousand two hundred and fourteen civilians. Two thousand and eleven of these are minors. Hostage taken. Requesting immediate back up.'

He waited as Mrs Jones replied in quick, curt tones that Alex knew she was worried. Mrs Jones hated children being in danger, it was her one redeeming quality Alex had often thought. 'Diversion tactics, Agent Rider. Units I, J and K will be on the scene shortly.' Alex swore softly earning him a reproving look from Mrs Finnigan even in the current crisis she wouldn't let her catholic upbringing allow anyone to swear. Even a broken teen. But Alex knew it was all up to him to save everyone.

Alex swore again, 'well hurry up.'

Before he slid soundlessly from his seat employing ninja tactics learnt on Malagosto.

Mrs Finnigan saw this and shouted, 'Alex, Alex Rider your going to get yourself killed!' so she did care, thought Alex, who'd have thought it.

'No I'm not,' said Alex softly, 'Am I SCORPIA?'

Everyone gasped realising that Alex knew the men in black suits, 'Rider,' shouted a boy in his year, Gordon McCulloch from Scotland, 'would ya get your druggie gang away from us,' he said in his Scottish brawl.

'Drugs,' sneered one man, 'very respectful to a boy who's saved your lives about twenty times.' There were gasps at everyone but Tom at this.

Then the teenager suddenly shouted, 'Under your seats! NOW!' There was such authority in his voice that no one dare ignore him. a lot of people (teachers and students) were so desperate to be told what do in the crisis that they followed the one person who seemed to what they were doing. Even if it was Alex Rider the so called "problem child".

'Now let the nice man go,' said Alex softly allowing his lethal side to come across.

Everyone was surprised they'd never seen Alex so lethal, not even Tom who was the only one Alex' mask would drop around. Gone was the quiet, intelligent, slightly sarcastic boy. Here was a boy whose eyes were cool as ice, and sharp as steel. His expression was unreadable; he gave off an unmistakable air of power and confidence.

'No, nor Rider,' the man directly behind Crane said coldly.

Alex unfortunately had no trouble identifying the man; he'd heard that voice often enough in his dreams. In his nightmares.

Dr Three world's top expert on torture. The man had kept Alex captive for three months when he was sixteen torturing him until he was barely alive for information. Luckily he never gave anything away.

Fighting the urge to flee, 'hello Doctor long time no see.'

'Indeed,' Doctor Three whipped of his dark mask, 'I believe the last time we met I questioned you on nuclear weapons. How I enjoyed hearing you scream. I look forward to doing it again sometime.'

'Not going to happen,' smiled Alex calmly.

Tom watched in amazement as his spy best friend and the assassin talked about Alex' torture like it was the weather. Nobody else understood what was happening but Alex seemed to have something to do with it.

The deputy headmistress, Miss Rendell, a loud mouthed, horse-faced woman, who was decidedly plump, and even more stupid with a tuft of chestnut hair stood up. Alex could have groaned.

'Rider what do you know about it, boy. I don't know why the government insists on giving you an education,' referring to when she'd tried to get him expelled for his poor attendance records but the government had stepped in saying he got good grades so deserved a chance at education.

'Rider knows more about it than you,' said Three softly.

'Mrs Rendell under your chair now!' Alex said in a hiss and to everybody's surprise she obeyed, Mrs Rendell wasn't best known for listening to people. Not the headmaster, not the teachers, not the parents, not the pupils. And certainly not the delinquent boy!

'Well you see Mrs Rendell was it?' said Doctor Three knowing the answer and earning and irritated hiss from the young spy, 'Rider here is the brainchild of MI6,' there were gasps at this. Alex could have groaned; the cat was really out of the bag now.

'So that's why he's never here?' murmured James Hale to Tom Harris.

'Yeah,' said Tom.

'You knew,' accused Hattie accurately.

'I've helped get rid of a body,' Tom grimaced as James gaped at Tom.

'Quite the child prodigy, Rider,' said Three.

'Is that a complement usually your too busy trying to kill me,' chuckled Alex no one hear could see how the young man could laugh at his own death, 'but seriously I am the one whose managed to chip away bit by bit for the last four years.'

'You'll die soon but no before we get your secrets,' vowed Three.

'Oh yeah?' Alex asked defiantly, 'didn't work last time. Won't work this time. But you should know by now never give me the chance to talk.'

He shot the master of torture in the head, gracefully leaping beside Crane 'get down,' he murmured to the man who jumped awkwardly to the ground where he lay cowering on the floor.

This was when everything went mad with bullets Alex just dodged. Alex hit two over the head with his num chucks effectively disabling them. Then when another three ran towards him he jumped so they banged into each other falling back unconscious.

Alex snorted at this deeply amused.

Then the machine guns went off Alex shot the two at the door neutralising the machine gun. Five attacked him using his skilful karate (he was seventh grade Dan) he knocked them out.

Another two caught hold of him but he managed to get one arm free taking his dagger he sliced through the stomach and the other through the eye.

That was when he felt a gun to his head dagger still in hand he thrust into the man's ear, he died with a scream.

Jumping up into the rafters he managed to use his legs to disable another ten men. Before, one particularly smart and strong man pulled him down. He had a ninja knife to his neck.

'Could really be doing with some back up now,' he said seemingly to thing air.

When nothing happened he sighed, damn SAS always late. He then pretended to faint. The students thought surely the super spy would have more stamina than that. He dropped his guard and Alex leapt up off the floor and giving the man a round house kick and finishing with a blow to the head.

'He was acting,' murmured Mrs Johnson the drama teacher who very impressed with the boy's acting. Though, she reflected it had probably kept him alive in truly terrifying situations. She sighed this wasn't how drama was supposed to be used – it was supposed to be used for entertainment.

There were only three left Alex reflected pleased.

'I am Alex Ruder. Youngest and best spy in MI6. Mortal enemy of SCORPIA. Been to three COBRA meetings,' Dawn Craig the wannabe politician gasped in envy at this.

The students and teachers Brookland and Crane looked of at Alex with awe, respect and fear.

The three SCORPIA agents gulped and looked at each other. Looking at the guns in Alex' hands. They shared a look knowing that they couldn't leave otherwise SCORPIA would execute them. Alex knew this but still wanted to give them a chance – he didn't kill mercilessly.

The three guards turned their guns on the crowd who screamed some holding onto each other and crying, others looking numb with shock.

'If you don't come with us we start shooting,' the shortest one who was similar size to some of the years sevens said.

Alex sighed bracing himself as he shot the first man in the head. The second man shot a girl in Year Eight but was knocked off by Alex.

The last man standing pulled out a long sword; Alex thought it had a pirate-Esq. look to it. He roared which Alex was surprised at.

New recruit? SCORPIA agents were usually cold, detached and ruthless. As such he was putt off guard for a moment. Until he felt a slashing in his left arm and screams as the students of Brookland saw there new found hero covered in blood. He dropped one gun swearing loudly he kicked the man in the balls then taking his yo-yo out of his back pocket he tied the man up with his tight arm using Smithers extra strong nylon.

'You're tying him up with a yo-yo?' snorted a boy in the year below, 'I thought you were supposed to be in MI6!'

Alex ignored him touching his telecom he said, 'hostiles neutralised! Around half a dozen casualties. Two dozen out of action. One civilian injury, I'm dealing with it.'


	4. Scars

Scars

Alex leaped the first three rows to sit beside the injured girl.

'Hey,' said Alex softly and kindly, 'mind if I have a look at that.' Then, 'pass me over my bag, carefully, don't want anything exploding.'

There was a chuckle at this they obviously thought Alex was joking, Alex frowning said, 'I'm serious.' There were uneasy stares at this and they slowly passed Alex his bag. Out of which he took a green SAS first aid box containing, amongst other things, bandages, medicines, painkillers, antidotes, local anaesthetic, and antiseptics. Alex took out an antiseptic.

'I'm afraid this is going to sting a little.'

'What is it?' asked the girl timidly clearly frightened.

'Local anaesthetic so I can remove the bullet without you feeling it. You should look away, though, it's going to be quite gross,' the nurse was amazed that Alex could be both caring and patient barely a minute after taking out thirty armed men. The girl nodded clutching onto the spy's hand with her working arm.

Her sallow skinned, dark haired friend gave Alex a very sceptical look, 'you may be a bleeding spy but you're hardly a doctor,' yet Alex thought.

'I'm a SAAS field medic I've dealt with gun shoot wounds a lot worse than these, many, many times. It's an inevitable thing in my line of work,' Alex looked at the wounded girl hoping she would let him help her. He was the only one here who could but knew her friend wouldn't let him help if the girl herself didn't agree to it.

She nodded, 'okay this will sting.' She chewed her lip wincing as Alex applied the anaesthetic. Opening a packet of sterilised prongs one handed due to his own injury Alex removed the bullet then using antiseptics he cleaned the wound on the little girl. He then placed a clean bandage on the girl as well as a splint and sling. Smiling as the girl appeared to be regaining some of her colour, a really could sign in Alex' sign. Knowing there was nothing to do with her until the paramedics arrived to seal to wound.

'We'll need to get it sealed up by paramedics – nothing hot to seal it up with,' Alex explained as though this was a completely normal run of the mill day which they were beginning to realise was for Alex. The teachers had no idea what to do with this mature and sometimes downright scary young man. They'd dropped the idea that he was a child when they saw him take out the terrorists.

'Now where's my back up?' frowned Alex looking at his watch annoyed they realised he'd prepared for this eventuality. Miss Colum wondered if there was anything Alex wasn't prepared for. 'Twenty three minutes,' he growled, 'most things take thirty minutes to get clearance,' he scowled at the word, 'and mobilise,' he said to the hall in general frowning. Showing his experience in areas like this compared to the rest of the hall.

'I take it you've been in this kind of situation before?' asked Mr Brey weakly shocked at the revelations of today of the most mysterious student but then again lying was in the job description of a spy.

Alex shook his head frowning sadly children shouldn't have been involved in his world momentarily forgetting that he too was a child. 'We try to keep civilians out of this and certainly not school children!'

There was an outraged cry from the student body but the teachers privately agree it was bad enough that one child opted to be in danger without the rest of them too being in danger. 'School children?' shouted Gill.

'Forget you go to school,' laughed Hattie.

Alex just shrugged, 'innocents and I'm no innocent,' he gave a harsh laugh, 'I stopped being a child at fourteen,' there was a silence at this.

Turning on his telecoms, 'thirty minutes are up where are you?' Alex growled looking lethal once again.

They stormed in Mrs Jones, John Crawley, B, J and K-units.

'Took you long enough,' said Alex drily and everyone could see his eyes flashing just because his weapons were back in their hiding places (clean) didn't mean he was any less dead as Wolf knew from combat training. Alex could kill with one blow.

'Sorry Rider protocol,' said Mrs Jones uncomfortably knowing this wouldn't cut it for Alex he hated protocols as if they had personally insulted him. Which they had, Mrs Jones' predecessor, Alan Blunt, didn't abide by protocols, especially concerning Alex this gave the man in front of her a long history of hatred against protocols which ever Doctor Evans his psychologist couldn't break.

'Protocols,' scoffed Alex, 'where were your precious protocols when you black mailed a fourteen year old?' Mrs Jones winced at the injustices done to the young man before her and the teachers stared at them in horror.

There was an awkward pause, 'that was wrong of Blunt,' said Ben, no need to tell Alex.

'Don't mention that bastard's name,' growled Alex feeling a punch in the gut and thinking of Jack and Blunt's hand in her death.

'Anyway,' said Alex, normal neutral expression back in place, 'there's a young lady with a bullet wound. I've removed the bullet but cannot close the wound so she's in bandages.'

Alex went back to girl and smiling kindly, 'what's your name?'

'Jen,' she whimpered.

'We Jen let's get the paramedics fix you up and your friend can come too.'

'Thanks Alex,' smiled the girl and the two twelve year olds were led to a smiling paramedic.

Alex returned to the stage, 'okay we need two hundred and fifteen OSAs, psychologists for anyone who needs it but give it a week to sink in, and we'll give a talk of the importance of secrecy on Monday,' Alex nodded, 'meanwhile let's hey these thugs out of here!'

'That's Doctor Three,' said Ben slowly.

'I know,' said Alex feeling relieved not to have that man (in the vaguest sense of the word) hanging over him anymore. Ben seemed to recognize this.

'Are there anymore injuries?' asked Lioness (B-unit's pretty and strong medic).

'No Jen was the only one,' smiled Alex things could have been far worse than they were. Mrs Jones seemed to feel the same which Alex knew was because of her own children.

'Thank goodness,' sighed Mrs Jones relieved, 'children,' she said and thought of her own children. Children should not be caught up in this world. Then looking at Alex was reminded at how they had failed him. Seeing her smile she wondered if she was really that transparent – only with Alex she thought. Maybe it was Alex' skills or maybe it was her almost motherly relationship to the boy.

Snake's sharp blue eyes caught Alex' arm, 'Cub your arm.'

'I've had worse,' shrugged Alex eyes falling on Three's lifeless corpse.

Ben and K-Unit tense up at this, they too remembering the torture scene which they barely got there in time to save there Cub.

'Still I want to check it out,' frowned Snake not happy with Cub's uncaring attitude to injury.

'Not here,' growled Alex not wanting the whole school to know of his torture but Doctor Three.

'Go on Cub,' growled Wolf. Alex sighed knowing it was hopeless Snake might me the over fussy mother of the pack Wolf was the father of the pack and no one disagreed with him. Especially when he had Snake on his side.

'Fine I just don't want them to see the scars,' he muttered. Ben rolled his eyes he had no patience for Alex' worry about his physical appearance.

The teenaged girls all waited with baited breaths as Alex Rider who everyone saw as the bad boy and fittest boy in the whole of Brookland but was actually an international hero.

Alex pulled off his white bullet proof shirt and the whole room but K-Unit gasped.

The school nurse, Miss Flowers had never seen so many scars a bullet wound, burns, knife wounds, whip lashes and more, walking slowly up to Alex, Ben and K-Unit. Gaping at Alex who's finely toned, body was marred by burns and scars.

'What happened?' she whispered in shock.

'Doctor Three happened,' Alex replied grimy grimacing. 'Remember what Three said about me having information and enjoying hear me scream. The sadistic bastard,' Mrs Finnigan frowned at his swearing but considering the obviously painful conversation that was going on couldn't really fault Alex for it. 'Well that's what he meant.

'You were t-t—tortured,' stuttered Mr Brey white in shock realising that his student had suffered without any of them even realising it.

There was a massive silence broken by J-unit's Hyena, predictably Alex thought. 'What the hell did you know?' he asked. By the looks of it everyone else wanted to know that. Ben looked uneasy at this.

'That's classified,' grinned Alex and K-unit rolled their eyes, this was Alex' ipsie dixit.

'I take it Alex says this all the time,' said Mr Brey.

Eagle scowled, 'all the time.'

'How did you get hold of it?' asked sharp Hawk (B-unit's leader).

'When your Britain's biggest secret, and go on the most important missions then it is inevitable that you are in charge of official secrets which some terrorist organisations, such as SCORPIA would give their right arm for,' Alex stated grimly thinking of the nuclear codes which he had been given for the information concerning the problem in Libya.

'Did you give in?' asked Hawk; Lioness the medic, Mole the strategist, and Owl who just knew too much all smirked at him. It was so Hawk they were talking about a child being tortured and their leader was worried about giving away secrets but everyone else was glaring at him.

'Trust me you'd know if I had,' said Alex grimly, 'and I mean civilians.'

'That bad,' asked Mr Brey shivering slightly.

'Let's just say my secrets could literally destroy the world,' said Alex not exaggerating in the slightest.

'Right you're done,' said Snake who had been working on the young spy throughout the conversation.

After this the Official Secrets Acts were signed and the students were sent home. Mrs Jones organised a story to be given out, psychologists for the children and the conference at Brookland on Monday. The children had the rest of the week off


	5. What About Now?

Stay or Go

The teachers of Brookland Comprehensive were in the staff room looking at one another in utter shock they'd all been in mortal danger and one of their students had been revealed to be working for MI6 for the better part of four years it was rather a shocking state of affairs.

'So Alex –'

'MI6,'

'Fuck,' Mrs Finnigan scowled at the modern studies teacher who had just swore.

'When?' asked a physics teacher.

'That's obvious,' said a very pale Miss Bedfordshire her usual vivid blonde curls falling limply around her head. Everyone turned to stare at the young secretary. 'Think back when did Alex start behaving strangely, start missing school, coming back injured and with those eyes?' No one needed to ask what she meant Alex had eyes that showed he'd seen too much, things he'd never forget. The reason for this was clear now.

'After his uncle died,' said Mr Brey sadly.

'How come nobody noticed?' asked Alex's Spanish teacher.

'I have,' admitted Mr Brey sighed wishing he had said something so he could go easier on the teenager, 'I saw his eyes and the feeling of wisdom and lack of innocence but when I asked.'

'How?' frowned Mrs Rendell, 'what did he do?' she asked thinking of the fact that Alex had taken out thirty men single handily.

'He threatened if I talked he'd get me sacked and he probably could have,' muttered Mr Brey thinking of the backing in MI6 he had.

'There's a difference between could and would,' said Miss O'Donnell her brunette pony tail bobbing ever the philosophy teacher.

'You know he's been tortured?' said grey bunned nurse Flowers.

There were sudden exclamations, gasps, hisses, snarls and an awful lot of swearing. Earning glares from Miss Finnigan.

'How do you know?' asked Miss Bedfordshire almost in tears for her once favourite pupil who was quickly regaining his old status.

'He told me,' said Miss Flowers, 'or at least the rest of his unit,' the Headmaster nodded in agreement also having heard this. The nurse continued in grave tones, 'you've seen the scars that mar such a young body. It's not right,' she frowned, 'he shouldn't be involved in this. He told us that it was the first man he'd killed tonight – Three – he seemed relieved but that's probably because he won't have that foul man hanging over him.

All the teachers shuddered in recognition of what had happened that afternoon, 'who could torture a child?' cried Miss Bedfordshire but no one had any answer to this horrific question which should never have to be posed. They hoped they'd never deal with this question again.

'What happens now?' asked a slightly calmer Miss Bedfordshire, 'do we allow him to continue coming to this school? Knowing all of this we do …' she trailed off as she was interrupted by a hail of shouts.

'Yes,' the teachers all shouted for once unanimous. Miss Bedfordshire couldn't help but smiled only Alex could reunite the teachers who had bickered for the whole decade Miss Bedfordshire had worked here for.

'What if he endangers the other pupils again,' said the secretary quietly and there was silence.

'He's been a spy for four years and nothings happened, and he's only got four moths left,' said Mr Hopeton the maths teacher, 'the question is what's changed?'

Nobody knew what to say to this but they were soon interrupted by the teenage spy himself. Speak of devil, thought Miss O'Donnell shaking her head.

'Talking about me,' grinned Alex looking completely at ease in the teacher's lounge a very knowing look in his wise eyes.

'How did you know we were here?' asked Miss Bedfordshire suddenly very nervous at the lethal boy.

'Where else would you be?' Alex asked very much amused at his teachers' naivety that he wouldn't work out where they were going.

'Home,' said young Mrs Lorenzo, Spanish teacher and mother of three.

Alex shook his head, 'you would have had to get your stuff from your classes which meant some of you would have to go past me. I know you could have gone home without it but you would need car keys. That even leaves out all that happened here today.' At all the teachers' stunned looks Alex grinned, 'I am a spy I'm rather good at sussing things out kept me alive often enough.' Then Alex sighed looking older than his years once more for a moment but the guilty look was gone too fast for anyone to see. Apart from Miss Bedfordshire who knew Alex the best.

'It wasn't your fault,' she said unsure of what to say to the teenaged super spy who could quite clearly look after himself but she couldn't help but worry on the effect it was having on the teenager's psychology. But mainly he seemed to be pretty happy with who he was. The teachers all thought they were in unchartered territory – which of course they were having the only ever teenage spy.

Alex gave her a quizzical look which alarmed the young blonde, 'not many can read my emotions I'm very good at hiding them I've done so since I was fourteen. You should be very honoured.'

'Er thanks,' said Miss Bedfordshire unsure of what to say to this comment this was really turning out to be the strangest conversation she'd ever had.

'Where did you learn to act like that?' asked Mrs Johnson keen to learn to act as well as Alex did.

Alex chuckled at this knowing he'd learned by being in mortal danger, 'I'd be a _dead _useless spy if I didn't know how to act.'

The teachers didn't notice the "connotations" they thought it was just typical teenage colloquialization. But Alex Rider was anything but an _ordinary_ teenager he was a spy who happened to be a teenager not a teenager who happened to be a spy.

'What's with those people, they seemed to really hate you?' asked Mr Brey, '… Scorpio …' he guessed and Alex snorted.

'Scorpia: Sabotage Corruption Intelligence Assassination. The biggest terrorist organisation in the world, until four years ago,' said Alex not bothering to conceal a grin which looked quite prideful and not a little arrogant.

'That was when you became a spy,' Mr Hopeton noted looking at Alex carefully realising that this was why there were assassins coming after him.

Alex's eyes twinkled dangerously neither admitted nor denied this all he said was, 'quite,' meaning that he was telling them absolutely nothing.

'You crippled them,' said Mr Hopetown hoping to get more answers out of the amazing boy.

'Now that would be telling,' said Alex laughing softly. 'Anyway down to business I can understand I you wouldn't want me here with all the threats I bring.' Alex' eyes slid to Miss Bedfordshire and she cringed; how much had the boy heard. He shrugged at her look, 'part of my job to over hear things.'

'Don't you have any protection?' frowned Mr Brey,

Alex growled, scaring the teachers, 'turns out someone poisoned them – twenty-five good soldiers dead many had families, I've worked with most of them. There's been a mole which we are attempting to flush out but it means I'll be missing some more school. I leave Saturday after next. Of course, I could just quit school I have tutors provided due to missing time when I'm _away _and there's plenty to watch me sit my exams but it's down to you and the students – their involved as much as I wish they weren't.'

'How will we ask them?' asked Mr Brey frowning.

'Well I work for the government I believe we are a democracy.'

'A vote,' grinned Mr Smith the modern studies teacher, 'we have the ballot boxes and everything.'

'Monday that's when I'm going to impress upon them the need for secrecy.'

'Why does it need to be kept quiet?' asked Mrs Rendell.

'You've seen my enemies,' Alex' voice became soft and dangerous making the teacher shuddered, 'if they believed you to have information they would torture you and kill you. Trust me I know,' Alex figured a knife wound on his left arm.

'How did you get involved?' asked Mr Brey.

'Long story,' Alex sighed.

'We have time,' replied Mr Hopetown.

'My uncle's cover was blown he was killed and a new agent was needed but _they _would be expecting a replacements spy,' Alex began.

'Whose _they_?' asked Mrs Rendell but had a feeling Alex wouldn't tell them.

'Confidential,' said Alex shortly confirming Mrs Rendell's guess, 'a woman was going to be sent but I suspected something was going on so investigated my uncle's death. I managed to knock out some MI6 agent and escape a car crusher then climb out the window of a high story building into my uncle's office all to find out the truth. And impressing the seniors of MI6.'

'Wow,' said Coach Troy shaking his head at the boy's daring.

'I know,' laughed Alex, 'I was blackmailed into MI6 by the last head.'

'That's illegal,' said Mr Smith shocked and outraged.

Alex shrugged, 'anyway as I went on I saved the lives of people I cared about, accidentally, and loathe as I was to admit it I enjoyed it but I hated the last head. When he was sacked for illegal activities and placed I got a job with Mrs Jones who understood too much had happened, for me to go back to who I was before.'

'The travel, the knowledge I've saved lives, the adrenaline rush, investigation – for sure. Torture and death not so much,' there were snorts at this, 'but it's worth it,' Alex spoke with such conviction that they all knew he was not kidding.

'You're a patriot,' said Mr Smith smiling.

'Runs in the family,' Alex grinned thinking of Ian, his father and grandparents.

'Well see you I've got business to take care of before the days out.'

The blonde spy sauntered off leaving the teacher gaping after him.


	6. Secrets

It's a Secret

On the next Monday all the students gathered in the newly fixed up assembly hall (the renovations were hurried by MI6 Alex wasn't quite sure how). Mrs Tulip Jones, Mr John Crawford, Alex Rider, Ben Daniels and Alex's unit (K-unit) were seated in the front row along with the Prime Minister, Tony Blare. Alex remembered when he'd somehow managed to get him drunk and throw a massive party at which the whole outside of Downing Street ended a charming shade of fuchsia. Mrs Jones and Crawley had given him hell for that assigning him to desk duty for three whole months. Alex hated not being an active field agent. Finally on the end looking very much out of place and uncomfortable was Brookland's Headmaster – Mr Henry Brey.

Mr Brey couldn't believe this was actually happening. The Prime Minister who was looking embarrassed to be beside the young man as though there was some guilty secret. Alex seemed to be fighting a laugh. Okay he'd voted for the Conservatives but still the bleeding Prime Minister. Looking over at his pupil spy on the Prime Minister's other side; Alex seemed as always perfectly calm, smiling serenely at some private joke which seemed to make the Prime Minister flush. Mr Brey had no idea what was going on.

Mr Brey had the sudden suspicion that this was the first time that Alex had met the Prime Minister. Really that boy was full of surprises – first being a spy and now having already had history with the Prime Minister. Or so Mr Brey thought. Looking over at Alex hew saw him smile, more of a grin verging on laughter really, in answer to the teacher's unspoken question. Henry Brey was very surprised and impressed that Alex had noticed the silent query, but he supposed it was one of those things about being a spy to read people and notice everything.

As the pupils behind their teachers files into the hall they caught sight of Alex who hadn't been seen since the incident last week and sitting beside the Prime Minister no less the whispers immediately broke out across the hall.

'He's a spy,' said one eleven year old boy.

'Heard he's killed –'Mr Brey frowned thinking that wasn't a good thing and Alex rolled his eyes surely they'd worked that out being there and all when he'd killed six assassins but he supposed it was a shocking event to witness especially as they weren't sure how many died and how many were simply in prison.

'He's been in MI6 since six –'Alex snorted really _six _not even _Blunt_ would do that, he hoped at least. Alan Blunt was always a loose wire and definitely would do what ever it takes to insure the job was done. Yes Alex admitted that Blunt would have happily used a six year old if he thought it would help. Ends to a means, Alex hated that saying but it was Blunt's catchphrase.

'He's fought thirty armed assassins off single handed,' Alex rolled his eyes he knew they'd all been there so they all knew this was true yet they all felt the need to repeat it several times.

'He's a knight of the realm –'Rebekah Smith a snobby girl in Alex's maths class said knowledgably and Alex wondered how the hell she'd found out about this.

Alex was surprised wondering how on earth a bleeding school child had found this correct information out. Once again conveniently forgetting he too was a school child.

The Prime Minister laughed at this beside Alex finely relaxing enough to forget the spy's drunken pranks with pink paint and his residential home. 'How did your classmates find out about that, hey, Mr Rider?' he chortled into the room. Alex glared at the Prime Minister as the whole room whispered excitedly at their correct assumptions.

Mr Brey looked at Alex in surprise and astonishment there goes the school bad boy – the boy was brilliant he had even been knighted by the Queen, but looking at Alex he looked faintly annoyed. Mr Brey realised that this must be embarrassing having the whole world know him and probably inconvenient considering his job. But Alex didn't bother to say anything.

Then the talks began. First the British Prime Minister stood up to which everyone stayed respectfully silent to. Mr Brey breathed out a sigh of relief at this looking at Alex as he did the same – really that boy was way too serious Mr Brey reflected sadly commemorating his lost childhood.

'Good morning boys and girls, pupils and teachers of Brookland Comprehensive.' He took a pause here, 'you know of course why I'm here. The events surrounding last week and one of Britain's best kept secrets,' Alex snorted here knowing it was only among the civilians he was a secret. Among criminals he was a legend born of fear. He'd heard one saying he was the son of the devil and another saying he was Jesus reincarnate, honestly. Then another saying he was the spawn of an angel and the devil or that he was a fallen angel. There were so many ridiculous rumours about him and only a few which were correct. 'Agent Rider but to inform you of more of Rider's status is the Head of MI6.' Alex knew this was so Blare didn't give too much away.

Mrs Jones stood up and with her usual blunt way of speaking she began with no introduction, 'SCORPIA is the name of those who attacked Agent Rider last week. They are the largest terrorist organisation to date. Of course in recent years we have found out more information concerning SCORPIA and in the last four years thanks to your peer SCORPIA had been going down. Special Agent Rider is one of only two agents to successfully infiltrate SCORPIA.'

Alex chuckled ay this and everyone turned to stare at him in confusion. Mrs Jones gave a thin lipped smile at Alex understanding what he found amusing. He just thought that it was two out of three Agent Riders (who were alive during SCORPIA's reign) that had managed to infiltrate SCORPIA; Alex more than once.

'Alex Rider is the reason why SCORPIA has fallen these last years. He is the world expert on SCORPIA.'

Mr Brey shot Alex a look who just shrugged honestly he was finding more about Alex in the past few days than he had in four years. Secrecy was just a part of Alex's life style Mr Brey realised.

'Having published three books and done many seminars on the subject.'

'Spies have seminars?' James asked shocked.

'Yeah Alex goes to them a lot – to speak and listen, murmured Tom, 'the SAS got to some as well.'

'As such he had many enemies who would stop at nothing to kill him.' There was a shudder from the body of Brookland at Alex's dangerous life. 'Therefore, I must impress the need for secrecy upon you. To explain this further is Agent Rider.'

Alex stood up at the podium in front of his school pupils feeling irrationally nervous considering he'd done this many, many times before with spies and soldiers from all over the world. The first being when he was only fifteen and a half, what a Christmas present from Mrs Jones. But allowing his cool façade honed form four years of being a spy he stood up showing a calm façade that only Ben, Wolf, Fox, Snake, Tom, Mrs Jones and Miss Bedfordshire could see through.

Cheers broke out. Alex frowned. He needed them to know this was not a joke but deadly serious but he hated having to frighten them and he would not manipulate them like Blunt had manipulated him.

'Hello guys and girls you have heard both today and last week that I do work for MI6 and have done since I was fourteen years old,' the year nines and tens looked excited at this prospect.

'SCORPIA and I have had a blood feud going on for the last four years but I am not going into that,' he made his voice calm and hard as it needed to be.

But of course this is not what the student body wanted to hear but the teachers looked relieved it was bad enough that their student ended up in mortal peril without having to hear about it. But here were mutinous looks, shouts and mutterings from the crowd of children. Alex frowned and ploughed on eager to put his put across to the immature children who he hoped would never understand his world.

'I know this will disappoint you,' Alex said already knowing that it did having read the response that his talk was getting. Correctly as always not for nothing was he one of the world's top spies.

'Too right it does,' several of the more rowdy students shouted while the less rowdy nodded in agreement or just looked like they had a point but not wanting to get into trouble from their teacher and/or soldiers didn't say anything in response.

'But hear me out these assassins don't care if you're good or evil, rich or poor, child or adult, military or civilian. If they think you know anything about this they will torture and kill for this information and anyone you are close to. You've seen my scars you do not want to end up in my position. Trust me it hurts like hell. And if you give in they'll just kill you in cold blood.'

'This is the reason I never told you any of this. I never went out to deceive you – just to protect you but that led to me having to lie, constantly. For that I am sorry,' Alex's eyes fell on the group of people who used to be his friend but they fell apart after his constant lies pushed them apart. 'So I shall not be divulging Official secrets, details on any of my mission, people I've talked to and so on. This is to protect both the world and yourselves. So you know not to talk to anyone aside from the psychologists who are currently making their way around the place. And trust me when I say their good I've needed their help from time to time.' The teachers frowned at this and hoped he wasn't disturbed by what he'd seen.

The children were still watching the young spy in awe. Alex smiled and with the sunlight behind him he looked like an angel.

'But I don't mean to scare you,' hating himself for doing just that. 'I know you are wondering why I do this and the reason is simple I've seen so much evil, saved the world and so many people so many times. If I had done nothing billions would have died, including everyone in this room,' there were shudders at this, 'several times,' more shudders came at this. 'So I have chosen to help in the only way I know how – the way I was brought up to do – by being a part of MI6. Don't think I don't know the risks trust me I've seen them enough to know the dark side of my job: I've seen good men and women that I care for,' he said thinking of Jack, 'lay down their lives for what they believe in.' Many of the students shuddered looking at their closest friends and wondering how Alex coped with losing his colleagues. 'I've been tortured so you should know it's a very dangerous line of work to put it mildly.'

Alex suddenly smiled making several people question his sanity after all his experiences but Tom knew this was just Alex he couldn't focus on the down sides of his life otherwise they would destroy him from the inside.

'But so is walking across the road,' there were several snorts at this but the teachers were frowning is this really what Alex thought of life – a danger zone. 'Never mind I'm an adrenaline junky and the rush you get after you save the world – well there's nothing like it.' Nobody could compare to Alex but didn't doubt what he'd said.

Everyone laughed at this. This funny Alex was the Alex they knew not the dangerous, deadly, serious Agent Rider they'd seen so much of recently. Then the vote was taken with many of them writing notes to Alex and 98% of the student and teacher population wanted Alex to stay making Alex's heart swell at his sudden popularity that almost everyone wanted him to stay despite the potential threat. This was a feeling he'd only ever experienced with Tom and Sabina or when K-Unit, Ben and Tamara were on holiday together with him.

Over the next week people would come up and talk to Alex again in a way they hadn't done since he was fourteen before MI6, before Blunt, before spies, before Ian had died. Alex was accepted back into his old group with invites from many others which he rejected knowing they just wanted to bask in his popularity. He'd always been a legend at Brookland but now he was the teenage boy spy who'd saved everyone's lives several times so he automatically became the most sought out guy at school. Basically he was treated better than he was in four years. If the fame didn't drive him insane. Typical it was that he was accepted when he had four years left.


	7. Lies

I am Three

On the next Saturday after the best week of school he had since before Ian died Alex left his house at six in the morning for Royal and General Bank or MI6 headquarters to those, like Alex, who were aware of the secret that it kept hidden. Taking his black jeep he parked in the underground parking lot of MI6. Entering into the colourless foyer that lacked the posters and magazines of a normal bank which Alex had always thought would be a dead give away but nobody was willing to spend money on this considering that few came in here unless they were involved in MI6 business and anyone who wondered in found the "bank" so uninviting they had no reason to come back again. In the reception area Alex gave a huge grin to the young, curly, red haired woman who was MI6's receptionist.

'Molly could you ring to say Alex Rider is here,' Alex smiled a truly genuine smile (for once) at the pretty, curly red head. She had a fair share of admirers in MI6 but Alex thought she was pretty ugly compared to Sabina.

'Sure thing Mr Rider,' as she always called Alex as much as it annoyed him. Molly's chocolate eyes brimmed with concern at the sight of the young man standing calmly before her with eyes much too old for his face.

Molly was paid to keep silent but even so the teenager unnerved her with those eyes. It just wasn't right that a child should be involved in such business he was the same age as her younger brother; Louie who had inherited their mother's blonde hair and father's straight hair. Unlike Molly who had their father's red hair and their mother's curls. The only thing they had in common were there brown eyes much like Alex's but Louie's were filled with humour not seriousness. And those all too serious brown eyes just made her shudder.

'Alex,' smiled the blonde boy grinning looking like he was about to burst out laughing and calming Molly's nerves with this childish behaviour as they went through their usual routine of naming.

'Alex,' chuckled Molly at the boy's cheekiness so unlike Louie who would never be cheeky. Molly often wondered where he learnt it from; mother or father or friends. Alex laughed softly the smile lighting up his whole face making him look eighteen for once.

Quickly Alex placed his weapons under his bullet proof top. In order to conceal the weapons from Smither's careful screenings of people for weapons. Only Alex was ever able to sneak weapons past the screenings and no one had ever worked out how but he had frightened Mr Crawley often enough with his samurai swords when he was particularly angry. In the end they'd stopped trying to stop Alex bringing weapons up just as long as he didn't use them on them which Alex readily agreed to. They had of course tried placing cameras all about but Alex had managed to find them all and disable them meaning that nothing had changed about the situation. Returning to Mrs Jones' office as always reminded him of Alan Blunt and everything that pathetic excuse for a human being had put him through as a young child, well fourteen. But that was young to him now even though it was only four years ago – barely any time at all. Except to teenagers where four years were a whole lifetime. Well most teenagers but not to Alex Rider.

'Alex,' smiled the woman who had half adopted the teenager as her own helping him through the hard times after Jack, his sister in all but blood, had been killed by SCORPIA thanks to Blunt's meddling. It was she and Ben who he had lived with until sixteen and the rest of K-Unit still came around constantly but he liked living on his own so nobody pressured him about it that had got him back on his feet after Jack's death. Alex had filled the void in which her children, Tony and Blaize, had left. And she in return had filled the void which he had always had – the void that Helen Rider had left that of a mother. As a result they were closer than any spies ought to be. But nobody noticed or nobody mentioned it.

'Mrs Jones,' beamed Alex four years ago if anyone had said he'd have motherly feelings towards Tulip Jones he'd have told them to go jump but now he couldn't see her without his heart swelling. 'The mole,' he said seriously ignoring the urge to give her a hug as they would out of office hours.

'It's someone high up but we do not know who,' said Mrs Jones frowning worried that someone would betray their country and more importantly Alex but knowing she'd have to send the boy into danger once more. It was days like today she hated her job.

'How do we find out?' Alex asked knowing that he would be going off somewhere otherwise she wouldn't have called him in. He just hoped he wasn't too emotionally involved because of Brookland and all.

Mrs Jones couldn't bear to look at her child's eyes. Her child? When did that happen she wondered but pushing that thought away she looked away from the deadly serious young man that she had helped to create.

'What do you want me to do?' asked Alex correctly interpreting his boss' actions. Mrs Jones wondered if it was just Alex who understood her like this or could anyone. She shuddered at thought so decided that it must be her unique relationship with Alex or the boy's unique skill level. Alex was calm and very eager for another mission.

'Go undercover into SCORPIA,' replied Mr Crawley and Alex couldn't help but remember the last time that he had gone undercover into SCORPIA but refrained from touching his bullet wound. Alex was surprised that Mr Crawley had answered since he'd been silent since the moment Alex had entered the office as he usually was.

Mrs Jones looked worried as she always did she really hated sending him on missions but knew it was necessary. Plus Alex would never forgive her if she _mollycoddled _him, god forbid. Remembering the time when he'd have done anything to stop going on missions and wished that was still true. We did that sighed Mrs Jones sadly. But this didn't concern Alex at all but something was.

'But they know me too well,' Alex pointed out the fact that after everything he was top of the list of SCORPIA's target so knew what he looked like.

'That's why we've called in Chloe Webber to give you a complete makeover,' it was her holiday after all.

'Cloudy,' Alex's face visibly brightened at the mention of his old friend.

'Yes she's going to make like this boy,' Alex's interest was piqued as Mrs Jones picked up a red folder and took out a picture. The picture was of a teenged boy around Alex's own age. He was Chinese looking with eyes of liquid silver and he was grinning from above his blue tie on his pale silver shirt he looked smart and a little geeky.

'This is Chong Three,' Alex shuddered inwardly at his torturers name as Mrs Jones gave him a small smile he guessed she understood what was going through his head, 'he is nineteen,' older than me then Alex thought, 'and currently studies English Literature in Harvard.' Alex was quietly impressed at this news.

Alex whistled at the prestigious university.

'Yes he's currently in first year. When his mother, Ai Gwang, found out what Three,' Alex repressed a shudder at his torturers name again and he was given a kind look from both of MI6's heads, 'did she ran off to America with her five year old son – Chong or now Cong. They got deep cover like your father got from the CIA and are now known as Ailann and Cong Guan. Ai Gwang works as a florist and appears that her son knows nothing of his father.'

Alex inwardly flinched, 'then why's he so important?' he asked frowning at this.

Mr Crawley answered yet again this really was the most he'd spoken since he became Deputy Head of MI6, 'SCORPIA don't need to know that he doesn't think like his father, Doctor Three.' Alex flinched again this time it was visible and Mrs Jones looked at him concerned wondering whether he was the right Agent for the job – even if he had a hundred percent success rate Three was a soft spot but looking at his determined profile she knew without a shadow of a doubt that he would not give it up now he had it – especially with hiss classmates in danger as they were a couple weeks ago. She just hoped it didn't upset him too much she really did love him and allowed John to go on. 'We've arranged for him to go on holiday so you'll spend a week taking his place before going hunting for SCORPIA. We've made sure it's a surprise so he won't tell any of his friends and block incoming text messages and phone calls we'll pretend to be his friends and text back and imitate their voices but it's all down to you to deal with SCORPIA. You should know that if you get captured we won't be able to save you,' Alex nodded understanding what they were saying he was on his own; if he was caught he would be tortured and killed.'

'Then,' Mrs Jones added hastily, 'you'll find our mole.'

Alex nodded knowing what he had to do; it was just doing it which was going to be problem. If it had been anyone but SCORPIA Alex would have said it would be a synch but it wasn't so it was going to hard and if he failed he'd die in agony and pain. He shuddered he really didn't want to be tortured _again_.

'These are his files,' Mrs Jones handed him the large pile of files in red folders, 'and your plane to Logan International Airport in Masscheutus,' Alex knew that this was in Boston so nodded. He'd been to Boston six months ago so it didn't faze him at all.

He journeyed to his office opening the files and glad again that he could remember everything in one read thanks to Ian he didn't feel bitter about this anymore, hadn't since he was sixteen. Opening them he realised the extent of them.

**Name****: Chong Bing Three**

**Known As:**** Cong Jing Guan**

**Age:**** 19**

**D.O.B.: 17.11.1985**

**Occupation****: Student (Studying English Literature)**

**Lives****: 116 Baker Street New York (Holidays) **

** 331 Hillrise Flat (Term Time)**

_**[See Profiles on Residences]**_

**Mother****: Ai Zhi Gwang **

_**[See Gwang's Profile]**_

**Girlfriend****: Bonnie Rose Brown**

_**[See Brown's Profile]**_

**Friends****: Aaron Taylor Cameron (19) **

_**[See Cameron's Profile]**_

____**Tony Lee Essex (17) **

_**[See Essex's Profile]**_

____**Ronaldo Oliver Bastos (19) **

_**[See Bastos' Profile]**_

__**James Henry Nottingham (19) **

_**[See Nottingham's Profile]**_

__**Michael (Mickey) Jones (19)**

_**[See Jones' Profile]**_

__**Carlotta Rosetta Francesco (18)**

_**[See Francesco's Profile]**_

**Looks**

**Hair****: Inky Black with a side parting very neat**

**Eyes:**** Slanted Silver eyes**

**Height: 6.1 Feet (Tall)**

**Weight: 12 Stone**

**Ethnicity: Chinese**

**Physical Fitness****: Works out. In good shape with little health problems. There is a scar on his left leg where he fell off his bike when he was seven.**

_**[See Childhood Profile]**_

By the time Alex had finished reading all the files he knew everything there was to know about Doctor Three's son and all his friends; everything from his last date with Bonnie or Bon as Cong called her to his first pet – Bubbles the tortoiseshell cat. Alex thought this was ironic – cats who traditionally hated water and Cong had called his car Bubbles. Alex had never had pets because they weren't in the house long enough to look after one. Then when Jack came she put her foot down because she had too many allergies – once he'd found a spider and looked after it until Jack found it and flushed it down the loo and Alex cried for a month until she bought him a toy dog.


	8. Detonators and Disguises

Detonators and Disguises

After finishing reading the many files about Cong's life in plush office which had more life than the rest of the building put together with a photo of Ian (with blue hair), Jack, Tom and Alex laughing from their joke and potted plants by the window. There was also a Chelsea signed football poster on his door. Alex then decided now was a good time to head down to Smithers' Office for gadgets; this was his favourite part of a mission he always loved to see what new ideas Smithers had cooked up. Sitting down in Smithers' office very carefully aware of everything and careful not to touch anything but the seat he was sitting on just in case it exploded _literally._

'Alex my dear chap,' grinned Smithers jovially in typical Smithers fashion, 'hear about the incident at your school. Terrible just terrible,' Alex agreed with him and thought this was pretty obvious but let Smithers mutter away to himself before reminding him of his job. Unable to keep the serious face Smithers suddenly grinned widely back to the usual Smithers. Alex had the sudden revelation that Smithers would make a really bad under cover agent being unable to lie at all. Unless the inability was in fact a lie – when did Alex become so mistrustful? Oh yeah when he was blackmailed by Blunt into becoming a spy! But Alex couldn't help but admitting the appearance of being unable to could be very useful one of these days; showing the world an honest face while hiding a dishonest mind. But Alex shook the thought quickly away; there was innocence in Smithers' eyes that couldn't be faked. But in Alex's eyes there was a cold, hard look of someone who had seen way too much and wouldn't stop fighting – one who had taken lives. Alex honestly believed that eyes were the window to the soul. Hey Alex was living proof of that.

'So your going back to SCORPIA,' sighed Smithers who always worried about Alex more than anyone else but Mrs Jones. 'I really hate it when you get involved with those people,' Alex knew what he meant that Alex had a reputation of going up against SCORPIA. Not for nothing was he SCORPIA's mortal enemy and the world's top authority on everything concerning SCORPIA, 'but I'll do my best to equip you with gadgets.' Alex understood the chances were that he would be searched and if SCORPIA found any of the gadgets they'd be removed and he'd be killed in an instant. Pleasant thought.

He pulled out a dark blue suitcase which could be pulled along by its wheels. Alex grimaced thinking it was a bit of a granny's suitcase but didn't say anything. The suitcase had a magnificent golden eagle on it which Alex instantly recognized as the insignia of Baltimore Rovers. Alex knew that this was Chong Three's favourite American football team. American football was Cong's sport as much as football or soccer as he'd now have to refer to it was Alex's sport. When he wasn't riding down mountains or anything to do with spying. He knew that Cong had started supporting the Baltimore Rovers after he'd been living in New York for two years; so hew was seven and a half. It was February and his friend who was two years younger for him and just turning five that weekend. Mickey Jones' dad had managed to acquire tickets for the Baltimore Rovers versus Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This was Cong's first ever sport match and he became hooked on American football and loved the Rovers as they were the first team he ever saw win. Much to the disappointment of Henry and Mickey Jones who were avid Tampa Bay Buccaneer fans but they accepted his choice even if they competed when a match was coming up.

'These will be your clothes,' he said opening the suitcase to masses of smart shirts of , thin ties, jeans of varying shades and converses which ranged from white to black and all colours in between. Alex noticed there were lots of blues well blue was Cong's favourite colour followed by red showing support to his adopted nation. 'All of which are custom made, of course, all your clothes are so they are all bullet proof but try not to end in situation where you will need bullet proof clothes,' Alex smiled at this. 'Aside from this you can keep your weapons,' Alex was pleased at this he liked to be well armed and prepared for anything, 'as you are pretending to be the son of an assassin,' nothing that Alex hadn't done before smiling at the irony almost four years ago he had believed he was the son of an assassin and tried to join SCORPIA even carrying his first gun. Smithers allowed a small smile too thinking of Alex's first run in with SCORPIA which brought back the whole mess with SCORPIA and John, 'who is cut out with revenge –' that too Alex had once done.

'Against myself,' inserted Alex laughing.

Smithers laughed too and Alex realised that he and Smithers shared a similar ironic slightly, well very, sarcastic sense of humour. Alex knew this was because of how Ian had acted remembering the incident in the Alps, but couldn't help but wonder where Smithers got his sense of humour from. 'So you can keep your weapons this time.' For once Alex thought. 'But wait to reveal this until you hear the report on Doctor Three next Saturday 3 O'clock.' Alex accounted this time to his exceptional memory. 'Then go hunting for SCORPIA in the most attention seeking way possible and hopefully your name will allow you to get high enough into SCORPIA to allow you access to who are little mole is.' Alex thought Smithers' way of putting it was very amusing.

Alex nodded, 'I suppose there will be no gadget with the whole SCORPIA thing,' knowing they would try and search him but still feeling disappointed anyhow.

'I've tried to sneak a few things in anyway: the buttons on all your clothes double as small but incredibly powerful explosives. Your keys are skeleton keys meaning that you can open any door that you wish to in the world.' Alex rolled his eyes he did know what skeleton keys were having used them from time to time. 'Your iphone,' he said picking up a silver touch screen iphone with headphones hanging out and a charger, 'can listen into any conversation through sixteen inches of reinforced concrete just remember to keep the headphones in otherwise it won't work,' he chuckled. 'When it is one the video setting it will act as an infra red camera to everything within fifteen meters of you, if you dial 999 it will call us, the radio will hack into any or computer that you plug it into using the charger with can double as a USB cable, the internet will access any of our databases in the world and you can use the video camera as a scanner and send us anything you want when dialing 111. Now while anyone can use the phone,' Alex frowned at this, 'only your fingerprints can access the _special features_,' Alex grinned at this.

Alex nodded pleased with his gadgets and weaponry, 'thanks gotta see Cloudy you know how I make her day,' he added cheekily seeing the jealous looks from Smithers and laughed, 'anything you want me tell her?' he said a lot more politely causing Smithers to beam like a lovesick puppy.

'Tell her hi from _her _Simmy,' grinned Smithers looking very foolish Alex shook his head at the older man's antics.

'Sure thing _Simmy_,' laughed Alex ever the cheeky school boy as Smithers blushed like a giant red apple. Alex couldn't help it knowing that Cloudy and Smithers were going to tie the knot that summer. He knew that Smithers was planning to use his inventions to make the event more _memorable_ andCloudy had asked all guests to be in fancy dress. Alex wasn't sure if memorable was the right word. Or if it was more likely to be what you don't do at a wedding. But he didn't say anything he had decided to adopt the approach – _whatever floats your boat. _He did hope that he would be able to go, even putting in a special request with Mrs. Jones to be there but not every MI6 agent could be there or the country could be destroyed. But even so Alex had picked out an outfit: he had a gold Venetian mask, black cape, black trousers and loose black shirt for his Zorro costume.

Walking into Chloe Webber (Cloudy's) department the smell of chemicals hit him some that smelt of eggs (sulphur), or some that smelt like chlorine and others smelt like roses. He was left coughing for five minutes (he was still wheezing fifteen minutes later). It wasn't till he left the room completely that he felt he could breathe normally.

First Cloudy put a little something which smelt a little of sour cream and was colourless in his right ear so that the small hole from his piercing he got before Operation Point Blanc was filled in and sprayed with something that smelled suspiciously like Sabina's hairspray. According to Cloudy this meant it wouldn't come out – that sounds like hairspray refusing to let styled hair come undone thought Alex – but Cloudy neither confirmed nor denied that it was in fact hairspray, she just smiled seemingly to herself. She then covered his bare skin (which was so embarrassing Alex dearly hoped that Smithers never found out about this) in smell-less foundation; the boys in his class (including Tom) would never believe that part of being a spy was wearing make-up to cover up all the scars he'd acquired from his various missions over the last four years; from torture, bullets and knives. Then Alex was told to wash in a tub of non-removable dye; Alex grimaced at this he was never going to get this out. And trust Alex he had enough experience of non-removable dye. This particular dye smelt of lynch (Cong's preferred type of deodorant).

Bringing out a pair of inky black converses with a small silver lion on the side of each shoe (Cong hadn't wore any foot wear but converses since he was eleven and his first girlfriend Roxie introduced them to him not that he told this to Bonnie or any other girlfriend), dark denim jeans and a black shirt which would be tight fighting (Cong always wore formal shirts and ties everywhere even to his American Football Matches which was something Alex who always wore the most casual things possible couldn't understand but kept in character anyway) and a thin blue tie which reminded Alex of the young Chemistry teacher who had arrived just before Alex left on his last mission to Serbia. Finishing it off with a silver codex which he knew was identical, with inscription and all, to the one Doctor Three had given Cong (or the then Chong) for his third birthday this was as evidence to SCORPIA when he found them. He stripped off glad that Cloudy had left him to soak alone though it would be fun to tease Smithers that his fiancé had seen Alex naked before Smithers or as blackmail ammo for Cloudy. The liquid was a dark inky blue colour, smelling of coconuts and swirled around the bath tub in ringlets shining like oil. He sank down allowing the water to wash over him in thick, warm waves.

Half an hour later he stood looking to all the world as though he'd been born in China while little Cloudy gave him contacts of liquid silver which you could sleep in without doing any damage to the retina and using mascara to elongate his short eyelashes. The contacts took away some of the darkness in his eyes making him look his age rather than about thirty years older. She set about making his hard English features particularly his jaw looking dainty and Chinese. Finally she cut away his long blonde locks which were untouched by the skin dye as the skin dye didn't affect anything that wasn't skin and gave him the hair cut double to Cong's. Finally using a bottle of tar like dye smelling of burnt leaves rubbed in the dye to make his soft blonde hair black as night itself. Finally she sprayed lynx all over him to make him smell like Cong as well as be his twin. Then pulling Alex to the long, floor length mirror that Smithers had got her last September for Cloudy's birthday in order to show Alex her handiwork. Alex stared in wonder as he stared at Doctor Three's handsome son; even after all these years of working with Cloudy there were times, like today, he still couldn't believe just how amazing Cloudy was. She was able to change a fair skinned, blonde, scarred, English boy into a handsome, Chinese man.

'Thanks Chloe,' he said cheekily knowing only Smithers could get away with calling Cloudy her Christian name even Mrs Jones and Mr Crawley would be murdered in their sleep for calling her Chloe. Yet somehow Alex was still alive after years of calling her Chloe. He was just that good.

Predictably Cloudy glared at Alex as Alex burst into fits of laughter, 'now all you have to do is remember the accent,' she said through pursed lips. Alex could have rolled his eyes he could change nationalities as easy as changing clothes, easier he didn't need a spare set of clothes.

'Don't I always?' said Alex in a perfect New York accent as though he'd lived all his life as New York citizen.

Cloudy gave Alex one of her rare dazzling smiles when one of her spies had impressed her with their disguises; which happened so rarely it might have well never have happened. In fact Alex and Tamara was the only one who could get this response out of her. As Alex went back to his office slipping through the doors ninja style glad nobody noticed him. as there was traitor only five in the whole of MI6 knew that Alex was on another mission (Mrs Jones, Mr Crawley, Smithers, Cloudy and of course Alex) and he planned to keep it that way. It wouldn't do for SCORPIA to find what he was doing otherwise he would just be walking right into a trap and rather like _not_ being tortured. But a spy's got to do what a spy's. Alex then texted Tom saying he was off to America knowing that Tom would understand what he was saying.


	9. Missing

Missing

On Monday Tom was back school and he knew Alex wouldn't be there having got the text from Alex's work phone which he only ever used when there was an emergency; which for Alex was too often practically all the time. Tom always worried about his friend knowing that brilliant though he was he wasn't immortal and could be killed just like his father and uncle were. Tom had been lazing around on the couch when he was supposed to be doing his homework but had decided instead to watch the Chelsea versus Arsenal game when at his father's. If he'd been at his mother's she'd have had his head – she was always the teacher – this was why he had opted to live with dad instead. Soon as Tom had realised it was from Tom's work mobile Tom knew that this meant trouble … of the mortal kind, but with Alex when wasn't it. He wished he could have the younger Alex back before spies, before MI6, before Ian's death. But that was never going to happen he would be a spy until the day he died. Tom just hoped it was when he was old and grey; not when he was eighteen! The few other times when he'd texted Tom he'd either been away for ages or would not be in school for ages except that one time …. Tom shuddered at that awful memory. He had got a message saying that Alex needed help, at like one in the morning so getting his parker he rode his bike (he was fifteen) to see Alex. Turned out that Alex needed help dumping a body that he'd accidentally killed, or man slaughtered, during a fight. Well really the guy had killed himself when trying to kill Alex had ended up shooting himself in the head when Alex twisted his arm away from his own head. He still remembered Alex's look, covered in blood and guts, exhausted, with cuts and bruises all over him. The message was short (as always) and simple.

**Tom. Going to America. Won't be back for a while.**

** Alex**

But he still looked around for his best friend who also happened to be MI6's top agent. Man how he hated that fact why couldn't Alex be England's top under twenties footballer – well he was but he was just never around to make good on that fact so Tom was shifted into the roll of team captain by default – or something. Of course as expected Alex was nowhere to be seen but he reminded himself that Alex always arrived just before the bell so as to avoid wannabe assassins. Tom often worried if there was a day in Alex's life he didn't guard against possible death threats but if that kept Alex alive who was Tom to complain. But in his heart of hearts Tom knew Alex wouldn't be here as he was on the other side of the world; he didn't even know where after all America was a pretty big place. He didn't even know if it was North or South America though he presumed it was the States because when he went to the south he usually said the country. Tom then of course had to look up the country on Google. He rolled his eyes at his best mate's antics. He just hoped that Alex would be okay. He knew Alex was perfectly capable of taking care of himself; last week proved that. Shuddering remembering Alex kill six men, knock twenty three unconscious and tie one up. Alex was scary – there was no other word for it. But yet he still worried constantly about Alex when he was away.

'Hey Tom what's up?' said James as he and Hattie dropped down (their bus just arriving).

'Alex,' said Tom wearily.

'What about him?' asked James.

'Received this,' he said showing his friends the text on his old, knackered, black Nokia.

'What's he doing in America?' asked Hattie frowning who wanted to do Physics at Harvard.

Tom shrugged he never knew sometimes Alex would tell him what was going on afterwards but not all the time, 'it's from his work phone so …' he tailed off not knowing what to say. The three friends knew what this meant.

'You worry bout him,' said Luiza ever the observant one; the only one more observant than Luiza was Alex himself and he was trained to notice everyone and everything. Luiza spoke with empathy and concern in her Brazilian brawl.

'He's my best mate, no offence mate,' said Tom glancing guiltily at James who he liked well and good but he and Alex had been friends since they were three. Though he mused maybe they'd be less friends if is had not been for the fact that Tom worried that Alex was going to get himself killed or tortured, again.

'None taken,' lied James a little hurt; Alex was never here, always off working for MI6 James now realised. He now knew that Alex was off defending queen and country and being really brave but still he wasn't there to keep track of friendships like Tom so why did Tom like Alex better than him. Then he remembered Alex could be in mortal danger right now so he couldn't hate him _too _much right? Luiza put an arm on his and he looked over at the pretty Brazilian and tried not to drool rather unsuccessfully.

Hattie snorted, 'when you have stopped drooling, Hale,' she said waspishly, slightly hurt that James just wanted a pretty girl. Though she was forced to admit that Luiza was the most insightful person at the table, kind to all, caring shown by her attitude to an anxious Tom, and couldn't stand boys like the rugby players who just wanted to sleep with her. Usually Hattie admired her for this; if she was anywhere near as beautiful as Luiza she'd be having guys left right and centre. But not today. Not when the pretty girl was causing _her _James to drool all over her dark curves. Luiza then looked at Hattie smiling kindly then removing her arm from James' arm in a gesture of friendship making Hattie smile. This smile turned to a glare once again directed at James who looked infuriatingly disappointed at the lack of contact between himself and the prettiest girl in the school. Luiza frowned at this she had hoped that even a few boys would see her as more than just a pretty face; seems that was only Tom and Alex. But Alex was way too serious for an eighteen year old; must be his job she mused. Then looking at Hattie she gave a soft shake head of the head showing that she didn't want James at which the brunette positively beamed. James thought it was bright enough to challenge the sun then wondered why he thought of his friend like this but quickly shook it off.

Tom was of course oblivious to all this teenage drama his friends were currently involved in. Too worried about spies and assassins and Alex so continued speaking as though no love triangles had been talked about; which to him they hadn't, 'it's just whenever he goes I wonder if he'll ever come back. I know it needs to be done but why does it have to be Alex?'

'I don't know,' said Luiza softly giving Tom a sad look and patting him reassuringly on the back.

'But he's effing brilliant at it,' said James, 'you saw him on the stage the other day: he took on thirty assassins with nothing but a cut, he then, with an injury, healed the little girl, and called back up arranging everything to be sorted out. He'll be fine – he's done this kind of thing before, hasn't he?' Tom nodded in affirmation but still looked very worried. James just shook his head, 'your not his lover, or mother.'

Tom laughed, 'Snake's his mother and he has a definite crush on Wolf – well he is bi.' This came as a surprise to everyone but Luiza who just shrugged having thought as much before hand.

Then Hattie said what perhaps the most awkward thing to be spoken, 'but he's not immortal,' she said showing her preferences for _dark romances _like Twilight.

'The thing is he's not the first in his family to be a spy; his father and uncle were the best in their time as well but they both got killed; Ian was shot by an assassin who Alex had a warped relationship to say the least,' there were raised eyebrows at this remembering that Alex wasn't unknown to like guys. Tom rolled his eyes, 'not like that the assassin died because he refused to kill Alex; Alex has never really gone into. But the point is that Alex's dad was blown up by his traitorous godfather who was originally a spy but turned assassin.'

'Wow,' said James, 'it's like Harry Potter – well the opposite of Harry Potter at least,' Hattie smiled pleased that James kept up with the best book in the world, in her opinion.

'There's nothing like keeping spying in the family,' Luiza shook her head chuckling at Alex's completely insane family.

'I know,' smirked Tom looking relieved that they'd got off more painful topics like Alex's death. 'And to think I thought my family had problems,' there was a very pregnant pause at which Luiza gave Tom a kind smile while they thought of Tom's parents' divorce but Tom was over it by now. It was only Alex he was worried about now. 'Alex once told me that his family had been spies since it was founded in 1909, by Alex's great-great grandfather, no less; the great Nathanial Andrew Rider.'

By the time break had come the whole of Brookland knew that Alex Rider, the teenage spy had gone missing and there was a lot of speculation to where he might be. Everything from the somewhat accurate that he was on a mission on the other side of the world to the ridiculous that he'd been abducted by Martians who he'd stopped taking over the world. Tom rolled his eyes at this one. Tom was finally understanding why Alex didn't like his _celebrity_ status it was dead annoying. Because Tom was widely known to be Alex' best friend he was questioned about where Alex might be mercilessly, it was pure torture. He immediately felt guilty for this hyperbole knowing Alex really had been tortured. Tom had seen the horrific scars. He told everyone repeatedly that he didn't know where Alex was or when he'd be back. Learning from years of watching Alex's lies he knew to "forget" the details which they didn't want anyone to know, like the little fact that he knew exactly where Alex was. Well around about somewhere in America but America was a big place.

In the staff room the teachers had all gathered to discuss their most mysterious pupil, 'where do you think he is?' asked Miss Bedfordshire who had always liked Alex and knowing what he did in his spare time was genuinely worried for the child.

'I don't know but I bet Tom does after all he told him he was a spy despite to security risks I don't think there's much that the two do not share,' sighed Mr Brey who was always an excellent judge of character and relationships; it's what made him such a good headmaster. The teachers decided they wanted a word with Tom Harris about Alex Rider without anyone noticing so hatched a plan to "run" into Tom that afternoon. Alex would never have fallen for it but Tom was considerably more innocent not being an internationally famous, and hunted, super spy.

In English Tom was asked by the teacher to go and get the worksheets from the photocopier down in the office. Tom didn't think much of it many other children had to go and get newly printed stuff from the photocopier. It was just a coincidence. Tom unlike Alex had no reason not to think of coincidences. Down at the office he ran into Mr Brey still not thinking anything of it. Mr Brey was often around so it wasn't crazy to believe of a coincidental meeting. It wasn't until Mr Brey asked Tom for a quick chat did Tom think this may all have been planned but he quickly shook it off scolding himself for spending too much time with Alex, Alex's mistrust was rubbing off on him apparently. He did not realise that he had accidentally guessed the truth. So Tom just shrugged nonchalantly, 'okay but I have to go back to English,' he was more behind than Alex and Alex was only a part time student.

'Of course,' said the Headmaster seeming to know all about Tom's trouble with English causing Tom to shift from foot to foot slightly guiltily. It's not that he couldn't do it it's just he didn't seem the point. Of course he played my parents are divorced card, again and again and again so no one really believed that it was still true. But his puppy dog eyes could melt even the toughest assassins, or so he thought. Alex of course wouldn't let Tom anywhere near his "work". 'But I was wondering do you know where Alex is, if he's in danger or when he'll be back?' Now Tom was ninety percent that this was all planned by the teachers but he didn't want to become as mistrustful as Alex.

He had realised of course that the headmaster want going to let Tom go without telling the man the truth, Tom wasn't no matter what his mother said stupid. Alex was the only one, apart from dad, who regularly told him how smart he was. After all he did have a right to know he was Alex's headmaster he doubted Alex would see it like that but he still had to say something. Right? He just hoped that Alex wouldn't feel like he had betrayed him too much? Tom had no hope that Alex wouldn't find out about this; there was a reason he was a spy. He just had a knack of knowing too much which could get him into trouble from time to time, all the time.

'He's somewhere in America,' Tom admitting that he didn't know much more than that, 'he said he'd be back in while and it was from his work phone meaning he's on a mission.'

The Headmaster nodded and allowed Tom to go back to his class without further comment noticing that Tom was as worried as he himself was.


	10. Boston

Boston

Alex left his office at nine that evening and slid into a black jaguar with dark, tinted windows which had pulled up to him, outside the Chinese restaurant that he had his dinner in not wanting to make it obvious that he was working or MI6 to anyone who might just might be watching the so called bank.

'Mr Guan to the subway?' asked the young driver with a smile on his face showing that despite appearances that he knew way more than he was letting on; as all MI6's drivers, who were actually junior agents, did.

'No Stanley,' smiled Alex also in access of far more information than a civilian, 'to Heathrow Airport and please call me Cong; that is my name after all,' Alex grinned inwardly at this knowing fine well that this was a lie and Stanley smiled too not knowing who the agent was but knowing he was not Cong Guan. So after the prearranged words which would make him take the boy back to Headquarters if there was a syllable out of place. The driver drove them to the requested airport.

Alex who had always gone in first class with his uncle when on what he then thought of as "business trips" but what he now knew where top secret missions for MI6. Alex personally thought the first class seating didn't even begin to compare to the Drevin Private Plane with its plasma screens and snooker table so you could see why the First Class seat didn't have any effect on him. If a passer by had seen him they would have thought he was a child actor or son of a rich businessman. Alex slid into a window seat ordering the red wine that he knew from Chong's file was his personal favourite; Alex himself didn't much like alcohol the only time having gotten drunk ended up painting Downing Street pink if he hadn't been so damn good at his job Mrs Jones made it clear she would fire him so always stuck to his favourite of ice tea – not very James Bond as Tom all too eagerly pointed out. He relaxed, or as relaxed as Alex ever would, in the seat with _The Picture o Dorian Gray _a classicwhich Cong was currently studying.

Six and a half hours later Alex Rider or Cong Guan or Chong Three had arrived in Boston with no delays, for once; the planes or trains or cars always seemed to be late for Ale even with all the government backing. He smiled as he spied the read Cong leaving for Africa for a month's holiday which he had "won" in the student mag. and was a surprise – he could "text" his friends later. His friends would think that he hadn't "won" when Alex turned up the next day. Getting a cab he rode safely to 331 Hillrise Flat which would be his home for the next week.

Alex put all what was supposed to be "his" stuff in the places where he knew Cong would keep it. Then, knowing that Cong was definitely not a morning person judging by the fact when he was woke up at the oh so early time to half ten by Mickey at the age of ten Mickey had ended up with a massive black eye for the next three weeks; Cong could definitely throw a punch. But Alex ever the morning person was just beginning to realise how different he and Cong were; not like he hadn't acted people who were three hundred and sixty degrees different to him – like Alex Friend the resident bad boy. Alex pulled on the dark blue, silk pyjamas which Alex thought were a bit sissy used to going to be in boxers and a white t-shirt but were Cong's favourite. He lay down pretending to sleep as at this time Cong would still be fast asleep under the plain blue bed covers of Cong's bed waiting for Cong's girlfriend; Bonnie to ring the doorbell storm into the room and pounce effectively waking Cong up for the day which is what the files Mrs Jones and Mr Crawley had told him Cong did on weekends. It was times like this that Alex was glad he didn't have a girlfriend.

Three hours later Alex was bored out of his mind when he heard the doorbell ring. At last he thought with a smile. He pretended to ignore it as Cong always would and waited as Cong's girlfriend let herself in with her keys to the flat. She flung open the bedroom door bringing in with her a wave of orange blossoms from her Tiger Perfume which had been a Christmas gift from Cong the last Christmas when they had begun dating.

Pretending to be still in the last grips of sleep he moaned and moved to rub sleep from his eyes as he watched the Journalism student. And what he saw made his eyes pop; he thought that he was going to enjoy this part of the mission before remembering that Bonnie was very catholic and didn't do anything beyond kissing. She was tall, naturally blonde but not in a peroxide kind of way, with curves outlined by the little denim shorts and pink vest she wore for the hot American summer. She wore pink flip flops and nail varnish on her toes and fingers which Alex could see were manicured; the older girl really took care of herself. Her natural blonde hair fell in curls half way down her back. She had large, expressive blue eyes filled with love for her "boyfriend" not realising it was an imposter. Her silver crucifix showing her faith contrasted oddly with her skin tanned from the American sun that she had grown up with in Phoenix.

She beamed at the eighteen year old and said in a melodic voice that reminded Alex that she had won the St. Mary's High School and Westwood Primary School singing competitions since she was five years old in Kindergarten. She sung in her soprano voice, 'wakey, wakey sleepy head rise and shine,' smiled the beautiful, blonde eighteen year old Harvard student. Alex was beginning to think that he could really get used to this and then cursed himself for getting so emotionally attached. He never was emotional about a mission that was when things went down the drain like with the Pleasures. He vowed not to get too attached but was already feeling that it may be too late for that. Oh Alex what have you done now? He asked to himself.

Alex could do nothing but gape as Bonnie smiled adoringly at him, well Cong, but he was Cong so decided he might as well enjoy it while it lasted. Obviously this was the normal reaction that Bonnie expected from Cong at least at this time of day. Alex couldn't help but wonder about this; was there relationship built on their respective beauties. Alex hoped not remembering Luiza back home who didn't care about physical appearances even if she was the most beautiful girl in Brookland and refused to go out with the guys who only like her for her body; that's why she like Tom because Tom took her for her brains, laughter, kindness, emotiveness, perception and yes her beauty but that wasn't the be all and end all. Tom had told Alex this so many times that Alex knew it off by heart. True Alex only needed to hear it once and he'd known it off by heart; Alex did have a photographic memory. Just then Bonnie pulled up the blue sheet causing Alex to loose his train of thought and fall off the bed. Yes the Alex Rider with the looks of an angel, tongue of a devil and almost superhuman strength; MI6's top operative and only teenage spy with a hundred percent mission success rate had just been bested by the gorgeous eighteen year old American babe. This is what happens when emotions get involved Alex cursed himself. Alex knew is he didn't get hold of his damn emotions, and hormones, he was in serious trouble of jeopardising the whole mission. What would happen if he let the truth slip to her, she'd be in mortal danger and his cover would be blown? Or if he stayed and didn't complete the mission, which was looking like a very attractive idea apart from the fact that Cong would be back in a month.

'Get dressed Cong you're going to take me to the cinema, remember. Honestly Cong I don't see how you hate mornings like you do,' Bonnie shouted another morning person effectively knocking Alex out of his hormonal and worried thoughts she said flinging a pair of silver, skinny jeans, a silky white shirt and slender pink tie at Alex who personally thought the get up was very feminine but obviously she liked it and he knew that it fit with Cong's personality who he was supposed to be.

Bonnie ever the strict catholic slipped out almost soundlessly and let Alex get dressed in privacy. He pulled on the jeans trying to wriggle into the too tight jeans which he had never had the misfortune of wearing _skinny_ jeans before; Alex couldn't understand why girls, or for that matter Cong, opted to wear these type of things or how they managed to get into them every day. The progressed to buttoning up the silky shirt which slipped in his fingers; Alex wasn't really into suit and tie something which, again, Tom found hilarious that the teenage spy hated things that were traditionally James Bond. Then he died the tie pulling it up tight like Cong would always do; usually Alex would leave it hanging loosely not like a girl but not like Cong. Using a silver comb which he knew Cong had got from Spain when he was thirteen he combed his hair and pulled on a pair of white converses with a skull and cross bones on each side. Alex thought that they were quite cool so maybe Cong did have a small amount of fashion sense, _very small. _Alex hoped he looked enough like Cong to pass Cong's girlfriend's inspections glad that they'd only known each other since September.

Walking into the cream hall he was immediately greeted by a cherry muffin being chucked at him while Bonnie munched her own chocolate muffin thrusting the empty packet into the smart, silver bin in a very unladylike manner that surprised Alex from everything he'd seen of the girl she was very dignified and graceful coming from her life of privilege that she was as the daughter of the microchips company owner.

Alex decided it was best for him to be gentlemanly and started the conversation up hoping this was the normal way the day went not sure who wore the pants in the relationship; there was only so much you could gather without stalking the person which wasn't really done with civilians. 'So what do you want to see today, Bon?' asked Alex politely inserting Cong's nickname for Bonnie to increase his credibility.

Bonnie smiled at the name and Alex almost sighed in relief that his disguise was holding up so well – it didn't always like a few months ago in Portugal, 'Elektra' Alex had seen it last week with Tom and James who really liked Jennifer Garner; as did Alex but he also liked Jason Isaacs being bisexual. Alex would quite like to see that again for the hot actress and actor but knew that Cong wouldn't. Cong would like the historical dramas so that was what he said to Bonnie.

'No I would prefer to watch Travellers and Magician's its got violence in it too!' Alex chuckled knowing that the violence factor would appeal to the girl; she should try Alex's life.

Bonnie grinned appeased 'when it's on?' she asked a very eager look on her softly tanned face.

Alex went on Cong's Dell laptop and check the time replied to Bonnie's question, 'eleven thirty one – we should try and get there for quarter past eleven,' Bonnie nodded in agreement with a soft smile.

After the movie Alex and Bonnie settled for lunch in _Chung's Food Palace._ Alex had chose Cong's favourite dish, Pecking Duck which was a major traditional Chinese dish which Alex wondered about. He thought that maybe like Alex himself who wanted to be a spy partly to be close to his father and uncle maybe Cong's favourite kind of food was Chinese dishes as it got him close to his Chinese heritage; or maybe it was genetic Alex thought trying not to remember that his father was a psychopathic torturer. They both had spring rolls as a starter. Looking at Bonnie he saw she had a meal of Kung Poa Beef; which was an extremely spicy dish reminding Alex of the girl's liking for spicy food whether that be Chinese or Indian. They then finished with different deserts; Alex had a Mango Sato and Bonnie had a rich wolf berry jelly in all its orange glory.

The next Saturday at three O'clock Alex had convinced Cong's three university friends: Aaron Cameron, Tony Essex and James Nottingham to watch American football – Cleveland Browns versus Dallas Cowboys – with him even though James Nottingham was a cricketer the other three boys always managed to convince him to watch the football as long as they watched the cricket with him when it was on. Alex looked around at the other three boys. Aaron a small freckled, red haired boy who was the smartest in their course as well as the one who put the most effort in. Very unlike James Nottingham who breezed through on his father's money. Alex knew this was because Aaron was on a scholarship and he wanted to break the poverty of his mother and father. Tony Essex was a young man from Virginia with lots of dark hair in a mess around his head and strange glittery, gold eyes. Then there was James who Alex personally thought was very stuck up with dark hair to rival Cong's and eyes which were at least as dark as Alex's natural eye colour, though a lot more innocent – not having seen the evils of the world. Bonnie was out with her girlfriend: Carlotta Francesco a cheerful, sparky, Italian girl who was forever hyper and had dragged Bonnie off to go bowling, have chips, then go ice skating before having a sleep over. Alex sometimes thought she was like a puppy or a toddler – exercise, feed, water, and give them a place to rest. While the Portuguese dark haired, dark eyed Ronaldo Bastos was in the gym working on his many. Alex had never been the gym, preferring to work on his physical fitness without having to worry bout a bunch of civilians. Then came the announcement Alex had been waiting for. It simply said that Doctor Three, a prominent terrorist (not saying which group as most of the world didn't know about SCORPIA) had died in attempted murder (again not disclosing the fact that it was an English school or that it had happened almost three weeks ago). Alex sat up and the other stared at him in surprise never having seen their friend, Cong Guan, acting like this. But Alex knew that the time had come – he would be leaving. Now! Rushing out of the door leaving the other three boys to gape after his speed and precision wondering what the hell had got into their friend, never realising their friend hadn't been seen for more than a week.


	11. Runaway

Runaway

Alex knew he had to make his story credible because knowing SCORPIA as he did he knew they wouldn't just accept him – they would check, double check, triple check his story. So rushing out he knew he couldn't just head off to Venice in a plane. No he needed to make a scene. But how? Alex racked his brains or an idea. Then it hit him like a double Decker bus – or a jet plane. He had to hijack a small aircraft. Alex was never more pleased than now that he had learnt to fly last Christmas – not that he had been upset when he'd finally been tall enough to learn to fly. Flying had something he'd always wanted to since he was six – he'd even wanted to be a pilot as he constantly told Jack. Alex felt the familiar pang which he always did when he thought of his lost guardian. If it hadn't been for Ben he didn't know how he'd have gotten through her murder.

Heading off into Logan International Airport ignoring the grief over Jack and concentration on what he had to do Alex spotted what he was looking for straight away on a small runway. There was a black, private jet, very much like the Drevin's one. Alex realised it was guarded by two men – one old and tired looking but wary, the other young, bored and reckless. He noticed they both had keys. Running onto the runway he appeared behind the younger guard knocking him unconscious with a blow to a pressure point on the neck. He appeared ninja like, behind the other who had noticed his companion's attack and was looking around for the perpetrator. He pulled out his gun from its holster, leaving the safety on – not that the old guard knew this. 'You there,' he said gruffly, 'give me the keys and I won't shoot,' he was lying of course he would never shoot unless it was life and death. And he would never, ever shoot a civilian! But the guard didn't need to know this.

'Yes sir,' the older man whimpered in a squeaky voice. Alex idly wondered whether this was his normal voice or whether he was just petrified. The old man whimpered and Alex's heart went out to the man but he had to keep his mind on the job and he handed Alex his keys. Alex barely suppressed a smile – he had judged the two men correctly. The younger man was more likely to leap out and fight back because he was reckless and too young to have come to the conclusion that he was mortal! Alex had realised this after watching Yassen kill the security guard at Sayle Enterprises. Alex thought knew that the younger man was just finished his training having checked it up on his files on his iphone. But the older man was more easily frightened and wary so gave him the keys with little persuasion – apart from being threatened with death. Alex knew today was the day he would be retiring.

Alex started up the ignition with well practiced hands and was about to go into flight when the air traffic controller's feminine voice interrupted him, 'this is Air Traffic Control 292 please stay on the ground until you are given clearance.'

Alex laughed down the intercom giving a very good impression of a psychotic, vengeful assassin – well had seen enough of them. 'Sorry guys I'm Chong Three I've got business in Europe.' Hoping that MI6 had cleared this with the CIA, he really didn't want to get Cong in trouble – he seemed a nice enough guy, nicer than Alex at any rate who could be damn right lethal when he wanted and sometimes when he didn't want. Alex didn't really care that his father was Doctor Three the father wasn't the son. Personally Alex was glad Cong and his mother had managed to break free of their Three's evil influence. 'See you wouldn't want to be you,' he finished cheekily giving a harsh laugh and flying off, hoping that MI6 would be here soon to clear up his mess. Alex had a knack of making a scene which Mrs Jones had reprimanded him for on more occasion than once.

The ignoring the yells over the intercom telling him to ground immediately Alex raced off on the way over to Venice glad that the plane had a Sat-Nav otherwise he would be lost. He knew how dangerous this was, being the lone pilot; if he fells asleep Ale would crash. It meant that there was no time for toilet or food breaks. Alex just had to make sure he was high on coffee (he grimaced he hated the stuff) and cola (the cheap stuff you got from ASDA).

While he was lying over Turkey he realized he was being tailed by American fighter planes. Alex smiled sardonically who knew the more trouble he got into the more likely that SCORPIA would welcome him with open arms. The American FBI had heard Alex mention the name _Three _and leaped into action. He had to pretend to throw them off when he knew he wanted them to add to his story.

Landing expertly on a Turkish farmer's field which currently housed the cows which were being milked in the early morning Alex slipped into the undergrowth and hot tailed it to the nearest Turkish town, Düzbağ, where he found a rustic tractor. Feeling slightly guilty he nicked it taking note of the registration on his phone so he could re-compensate the farmer when he got back to MI6. But now was the time to be worrying about this. Soon as Alex got to the nearest tourist town, Kayseri, he managed to hotwire (as SCORPIA had taught him) a yellow bug with a mileage of a hundred and twenty. Leaping into ignoring the outraged cries of the tourist – a young dark haired man in white shirt and denim three quarter lengths shouting '¡Pare a ladrón! ¡Parada!'

Alex who had been fluent in Spanish since he was five and Ian had taken them to Barcelona where he had to speak Spanish for the whole time they lived there (which was the better part of the year). So he knew that the young man was shouting 'Stop thief! Stop!' But Alex ignored him watching him as he associated with two Turkish ladies (one on each arm) and could feel no sympathy for the man.

At six thirty three on Tuesday morning – almost three days after Alex had left the other three boys at Cong's flat the previous afternoon and broken more speed limits than he had previously thought possible. He left the car outside a Venetian cathedral, Saint Mark's Basilica, knowing that it was the most obvious place in the world and the place which the authorities would pick it up and return it to the owner. Alex was attracting a lot of stranger looks as a young tourist without anyone else who drove a top notch car but smelt like he hadn't showered in days (which he hadn't) in rumpled, dirty (from crawling through the Turkish undergrowth) clothes, hair in a dark mess, baggy eyes from know sleep in the last seventy-two hours he looked an absolute state. On top of this he had his usual look in his eyes – the look of someone who had seen too much. Alex looked down knowing he needed a change of clothes, quickly and a shower but the problem was the clothes he was wearing were bullet proof.

In Venice there was a market where he was able to steal what he wanted, despite the guilt that stealing almost made him feel. Alex knew that if he wanted to he could become a top thief. But then again what spy couldn't? Feeling very guilty for his thievery he vowed to find the old woman, Marietta Longetti, and return what he had stolen even if he had pay for it himself, which he doubted knowing MI6 would probably pay for his "work expenses" which is what it would be named. He found a hidden alcove in an old monastery which had been disused for the last two hundred years where he slipped on the stolen clothes: light baggy jeans which he was able to slip over his tight silver bulletproof ones, a loose cream cotton shirt over the white bullet proof one that he had from Boston and tying up a silver tie leaving the black converse he wore as they were even though he knew they would be incredibly hot in the Venetian sun. He snuck into a hotel room showering by the pool before re-pulling on the two layers of clothes (bullet proof and not). It was warm by the pool side and he was feeling the effects of his lack of sleep and the heat that wearing too many layers was doing. Collapsed on the soft purple cushions that were the deck chairs he fell into a deep slumber, well as deep as Alex could possibly manage.

He woke up to a clip around the ear by a tall guard shouting at him in Italian which luckily Alex was fluent in or unluckily depending on this situation. All the other tourists had gone when the pool had shut and he was left with two angry guards (one of which he pretended not to notice) and the manager who knew he wasn't a guest.

'Chi sei? Che cosa stai facendo qui? Non sei una guardia al Phoenix Hotel. Risposta me boy. Sei stupido? Qual è il tuo nome? Vieni a dire la verità.' Then as though seized by a sudden idea, 'si può anche parlare in italiano?' Alex could but Cong couldn't so he pretended not to be able to understand a word he said. Keeping is expression that of a confused tourist he allowed the guard to repeat it in English, 'Who are you? What are you doing here? You're not a guard at The Phoenix Hotel. Answer me boy. Are you stupid? What is your name? Come on tell me the truth. Can you even speak Italian?'

Pretending to be a terrorist's son he decided to dive pretend to dive into the pool to get away from the guard who was talking to him but really dived into the other's arms who immediately cuffed him around the wrists. Alex knew that SCORPIA would know "Three's son" was in jail straight away and bust him out, either to use him or find out what he knew. Either way it was the way into SCORPIA he had been hoping for. Sitting in the jail cell surrounded by large white bricks with his two guns, three knives and numb chucks taken from him not answering any of the police's questions to who he was and why he was there Alex was glad for a safe place to rest. This might sound strange to other people but Alex knew that when you were being hunted one of the safest places was inside a jail cell because it was built to stop people getting out so vice versa it stopped anyone getting in. Alex was known when he was being hunted to purposely commit a minor crime and end up in jail overnight until intelligence sprung him.

Alex may have just been falling into a soft slumber which he desperately need after the three days of travel he had just undergone but miles away a man who had become head of SCORPIA after it's downfall, Llewellyn Anwyl. Amwyl didn't have a sob story like many of his co-workers and employees but he did have a rather strange childhood. Anwyl had been spoilt by his parents, Achlad a small businessman and Blowyn the housewife. As it was later found out that Achlad had got his way mostly by threatening away all competition, often sending his goons to physically harm particularly brave competitors, and if this didn't work he'd go far enough to have his employees harm the loved ones of his competition. Llewellyn naturally learnt off his parents that the best way to get what one wants is by the fist. This was most thoroughly demonstrated by the treatment of his little sister, Megan, who was abused by her parents and bullied by her brother. When Llewellyn was thirteen and Megan was a girl of ten they had a massive argument over the fact that Megan was going to a Scholarship school and they were allowing her to go because otherwise it would look suspicious that her wealthy parents weren't encouraging her. Three days later Megan had a run in with an apparently _faulty _electrical wire. But his mother and father knew; while his father laughed about his cunning and congratulated his murderous son, his mother gave him scared looks and would scurry away whenever he was anywhere near him. Mrs. Anwyl slowly driving her son even crazier and just before Llewellyn turned fifteen Mrs. Anwyl was found dead on the rail tracks. This was when Mr. Anwyl realized what kind of boy his son was. In fear of what he had created Mr. Anwyl drove his fifteen year old son to London telling the neighbors that he was going to live with his sister in law. Mr. Anwyl dumped the young Llewellyn in the middle of London in the most dangerous part of the London gangland hoping to never see him again.

But instead of dying like his father had wanted Llewellyn joined a street gang in London called _Serpentine's Revenge _he began by carrying drugs or fighting the enemy gangs but rose quickly because of his uncaring nature to what he did and his proficiency of how he did it. By the age of seventeen he had reached top position in the gang even acquiring a name – _The Serpent, _to all. He, as with the rest of the gang, heard whispers about the assassins company known as SCORPIA. But _The Serpent_ was happy with his lot and had no reason to join the bottom of the ladder once again so stayed at the _Serpentine's Revenge_.

But then a few years ago he'd heard of SCORPIA's defeat and decided that SCORPIA was in such a wreck he could become leader of another organization devoted to crime. Over the next three years he shot, poisoned, stabbed, tortured until it was only Three left as the chairman. Having heard all about Agent Rider, the teenage spy, he knew that Rider would take out his opposition without anyone realizing that _The Serpent _was behind it. When Rider killed Three he took over the figure head of SCORPIA as he planned.

Right now Three was looking at the police reports that his informant were sending him, putting them together with the news from American and Turkey _The Serpent _knew exactly who was in the jail cell in Venice.

'Bring me the boy,' he said speaking to the old man giving him a suitcase full of money.

_The Serpent _would have Chong Three. It was perfect the boy whose father's death he had caused would become the next Yassen Gregorovitch. He was also the best person to rid him of the menace which was Alex Rider. He was looking for vengeance and vengeance he would give the young Three. He was only a year older than Rider. He could befriend Rider and then kill him. This would put _Serpentine's Revenge, _and _The Serpent _on the map of espionage. It would restore the underworld's faith in SCORPIA which had after all been defeated by a teenager. The boy would die for his crimes – SCORPIA never forgives and never forgets.


	12. You Found Me

You Found Me

The next morning Alex was woke from his slumber by the guards. Alex named them Fat and Thin because one of them was a small thickset man with dark curly hair and a moustache to match. He had strange violet eyes that Alex had never seen on anyone before – not that he was one to talk at the moment as he was currently in possession of a pair of silver eyes. Thin, on the other hand, was tall and lanky who looked like he had just graduated from the police academy. His eyes were as uninteresting as Blunt's, actually they looked quite a bit like Blunt's – large and grey. But unlike Blunt's they weren't unfeeling. At the present the man was staring at Alex with something akin to pity. Alex wondered whether this was because he had spent a night in the cells, or some other reason.

'Hey guys,' he said with an American twang, 'what time's breakfast?'

'Vieni con noi, prego,' said Fat and Alex knew that it meant 'Come with us please,' but playing the confused American he looked at them blankly. Thin seemed to realise that Alex didn't understand and pointed at Alex, then the two of them, finally pointing out the hallway.'

Standing up Alex smiled in a very Cong-like way, 'oh is it breakfast?' Not waiting for a response, 'oh what is it? I like muffins,' he said knowing that was what Cong always had, 'but you probably serve gruel – I heard that's what they serve in prisons. Never been in prison before,' knowing Cong's perfect record, 'hell of an experience wouldn't you say?'

This time it was the non-English speaking guards to look confused at the American boy as they walked behind him. Obviously he wasn't under arrest otherwise he would be being marched along the corridor by the two police officers. They led him to a room – not an interview room Alex was pleased to note having gone to more than one in his time. The last time was when he'd been involved in a high speed chase on a motorbike. This time, however, an old, Italian man with eyes like coal sat in his police uniform. Alex realised from the way the other two officers regarded the old man that he was their boss. Sitting on the other side was a strawberry blonde haired man in his early forties with eyes as cold as icebergs, they glittered strangely. Like emeralds Alex thought. Alex knew straight away that this man was no police officer. Maybe it was his emotional façade, his icy eyes, his immaculate suit which matched his emerald eyes perfectly.

Assassin. He watched as Fat and Thin were dismissed and positively fled the room. Not that Alex blamed them – even people who did not know about the world of espionage they could still sense the lethal coolness of assassins. Sitting down as though the world belonged to him Alex flung his feet on the desk in a very disrespectful manner. The senior policeman looked unhappy but one look at the assassin was all to shut him up.

'Hello Chong,' smiled the assassin with a distinct Welsh accent which reminded Alex too much of Julia Rothman but he wasn't fool enough to ask. At the same time as assessing the Welshman the young spy could have danced with joy (if it hadn't blown his cover). He was in!

'So you know my real name,' smiled Alex, 'I must say I was surprised when Dad surprised me on the way home from school.' The police officer was looking very out of depth not understanding what was going up so Alex sent him a polite smile.

'Yes Chong would you like to join us?' said the assassin.

'Like Dad?' he asked.

'Like Three,' agreed the assassin.

'As long as I have my revenge,' said Alex thinking of how this man was in the same corporation as those who had killed his parents and Jack his eyes flashed. That was the key to lying, Alex knew, think of things that would produce reactions of what you were trying to lie about.

The assassin looked pleased about his reaction and nodded, 'yes my _friend,' _Alex knew when he said "friend" what he meant was someone whom he paid off so that no one would notice SCORPIA's illegal activities around Venice, 'has allowed you to leave here with me provided we play along so that the other police officers don't get suspicious.'

Heaven forbid that someone realise that there is a corrupt police officer and a bunch of assassins on their shores, thought Alex coldly. But outwardly he nodded, 'what will I have to do sir?'

'You can't speak Italian am I right?' he asked looking less than pleased about that.

Alex looked at his black clad feet pretending to be embarrassed by this fact when all the time knowing he was fluent, 'no sir I'm no great shakes at foreign languages – I can say "bonjour" in French but that's it,' he said still looking at his feet.

'Well I'm sure we can rectify that,' smiled the assassin.

'Okay you can be part of my school who decided that he wanted a taste of the high life and got arrested or breaking and entering but was baled out by your pocket money. I'm your English teacher, Mr McGregor and you can be Cong Baey the American exchange student.'

Alex nodded, 'yes sir,' he smiled in a very eighteen year old fashion.

The police officer handed him back his weapons, which the Welshman didn't ask about and he quickly hid them again. Then he was given his IPod which Alex cherished knowing it may be his only chance between life and death if it came to that. But he hoped it wouldn't. But then again it was Alex – he couldn't do anything without blowing up a few building along the way. This is something Tom teased him mercilessly for.

They walked out of the station with the Welsh assassin steering him by his shoulder. As soon as they left the assassin dropped his arm a hard, cold, wary, dead look appearing upon his face. A black, smart car appeared with a black driver which wearing sunglasses forcefully reminding Alex of _the Men in Black. _The welsh man practically pushed Alex into the car where he sank into the dark leather seats. The man followed him into the car sitting across from him. Alex looked out of the dark, tinted windows into the sunlight villas and plazas of Venice.

Alex watched the milling tourists for five minutes before the assassin spoke, 'Mr Three would you like some champagne?' He was watching Alex and Alex knew this was a test.

'No thank you,' Alex replied and the man raised an eyebrow, 'I don't mean to offend you, sir,' said Alex polite as Cong would be, 'I don't like champagne, sorry.'

'Not to worry,' smiled the red haired man, 'it's something you must have picked up from your mother – your father loved champagne,' said the man.

Alex knew he wasn't lying Three would often take a sip of champagne when he was half way through torturing Alex and got thirsty, Alex suppressed as shudder. Alex never got anything to drink for those three months but drugged water so he couldn't even formulate a plan to escape – he only drank the water and ate the bread and cheese because otherwise he'd die of malnutrition and Alex was a Rider! Rider's were born survivors and never, ever gave up! That's how Alex dealt with the months of torture by telling himself he couldn't give up. Not for himself but for his father, uncle and all his other dead relatives who all belonged to MI6. Nothing like keeping spying in the family he thought wryly.

'I wouldn't know,' said Alex looking down pretending to be sad, 'dad wouldn't eat out anywhere he insisted on meeting in dark alleys said we were being watched.'

'You were,' said the man, 'by the CIA.'

Alex nodded knowing this was true, 'but I think that I like wine because my girlfriend is addicted to the stuff but mum,' Alex added in an eye roll, 'she doesn't like alcohol – mums,' Alex shook his head looking at the man chuckling who looked like he agreed with Alex's statement on mums.

'Quite,' chuckled the man, 'but on business you are too emotional.'

'Sir?' asked Alex.

'We need to teach you to control your emotions otherwise you'll never have your revenge.'

'Anything,' said Alex eagerly.

'There goes the emotions again – you must learn to discipline your mind, control your emotions otherwise you'll never have your revenge.' Alex nodded looking like he was trying to control his face (and failing). 'What do you want to ask?'

'Who?' asked Alex, 'who killed my father?'

'An MI6 agent called Alex Rider – a year younger than you I believe,' he said softly.

'How?' asked Alex, 'Dad told me he was the best,' he said a little defensively.

'Rider tricked him,' said the man coldly, 'pretended that he was just going to turn him in when his back was turned Rider shot him in the head in cold blooded murder.'

Alex snorted this is exactly the root that Julia Rothman had went down with him. Lie to him, trick him, and manipulate him. And look how well that turned out for her – it looked like history was going to repeat itself – the same spy.

'Wait,' said Alex slowly, 'you said Rider was a year younger than me – that would make him still in school.'

'Yes,' nodded the man, 'an abomination if you ask me – trained his whole life, made his first kill when he was fourteen and many more since then. We've tried many times to silence him,' Alex knew this was true he had the wounds to prove this, 'wanted to rid the world of a menace and terror.'

That's you thought Alex but all he said was, 'I hate him.'

'Don't we all,' said the man softly,

'So what now?' asked Alex.

'Training,' said the man, 'Alex Rider is the best of the best you won't last two seconds without the proper training. We have a facility here on Malagosto to train new assassins such as yourself, would you like to join?'

'Yes, sir,' said Alex respectfully cringing inwardly at his respectful voice for the cold blooded killer.

'Then once we find where your father's killer is we can send you to befriend him – then kill him – but first you have to learn to lie!'

'Yes sir,' said Alex eagerly, once more, 'when do I start?'

'Tonight we'll ship you out,' smiled the man calmly looking very calculating, 'by the way my name is Llewellyn Anwyl.'

'Nice to meet you Mr Anwyl,' grinned the spy determined to research the assassin when he got a room privately.

'Same here,' Mr Three.


	13. High School Never Ends

Back to School

Alex was sitting in his room in the tower on Malagosto. He's been here for two weeks and, though he had pretended to start off average skill level, he was now becoming one of the top in his class. Alex was quite sickened at the way they treated him – with _respect _and _honour_ because he was apparently the son of a torturer. The other sixteen pupil assassins all treated him like he was a god or something. Actually, much to Alex's disgust, it reminded Alex all too much of the way the other pupils of Brookland Comprehensive treated Alex after finding out why he was never in school.

Alex looked around the room which had been painted blue the day he arrived here. The new director of Malagosto, chosen by Anwyl, was very keen on adding the personal touch to people's room at Malagosto. The director, an American called Joshua Davis, was convinced that Malagosto was one of the few places where they were all safe so should be treated as long term residency and the other assassins should be treated as family. Alex shuddered at this knowing that because of SCORPIA he had no family and now he had to treat SCORPIA as family. He had a few posters of the Baltimore Rovers. He had a two CD racks - one of classical music which was Cong's favourite. Alex decided that the young Three must have inherited his love of classical music off his father; Doctor Three would often listen to Mozart while torturing Alex. The other CD rack had all of Cong's favourite historical dramas which Alex would watch to every once in a while, trying not to fall asleep. The white washed bricks that made up the floor where covered with a brown hearth rug that Alex used to keep his feet war,. Near the CD rack was a silver stereo system currently with a Beethoven CD in it but turned off. On the other side of the room was a bronze bookcase filled with classics from Dorian Gray to Lord of the Rings. There was white, leather couch which current Alex was sitting on reading Shakespeare's Macbeth. On the far wall as dark plasma screen which could view every channel in the world; every Saturday he'd watch the American football games on the Sports Channel. At the side of the room were a chair and desk of cherry wood with papers, notebooks, pens, pencils, highlighters, a Dell laptop, and more than one pen drive.

This was the middle level on lower level was a honey coloured table and chairs. There was a set of French windows leading out to a balcony over looking the sea view which contained a posh metallic set of chairs and table which Alex could invite his fellow pupils to have a toast with him at. In the main room there was a fridge-freezer, silver oven, microwave, toaster, and all the kitchen appliances. The cupboards were full of all of Cong's favourite snacks – muffins, choc-chip cookies, popcorn and cherry pies. In the freezer there were tubs of blueberry ice cream and boxes Ribena lollies. In the fridge there were chocolate mousses and cheeses; Alex personally would have preferred to stay up here and eat his meals, too. But Cong was a generally social person. So in line with Cong's attitude he had to eat with the other thirteen trainee assassins and some of the teachers. The blonde, Swedish Calberg twins and Harry Clark the old, silver haired ex-MI5 agent did not like eating with the rest of the class. A silver bin and blue wash basket stood directly by the door.

On the higher level was a double bed with a white headboard and blue covers. In the corner there was a dark mahogany wardrobe. The bed took up most of the room but there was enough room for a small table football table which Alex knew Cong frequently played at home with Mickey. Beside the bed was a white storage unit which had an iphone on it. There was an archway which led to a marble bathroom where a blue toothbrush and mint toothpaste stood. In the shower where men's antidandruff and lot's of Lynx.

Currently the bed covers were a complete mess and poking out you could just see a dark head of hair where a snoozing boy was about to be woken. Sure enough the iphone began to play Bach's symphony – loudly. The boy groaned and sat up blearily checking the time on his iphone and realising it was seven – time to get up. Or so it appeared – really Alex had been up for the past few hours. But knowing that Cong liked to sleep he had to make it at least appear that he wanted to sleep. Alex slipped out of bed tousle haired, silky emerald pyjamas a mess. Looking around blearily he pulled open the wardrobe pulling out a pair of light blue designer jeans. Yawning and grumbling loudly knowing there was a camera in the lamp (he had checked the day he had arrived). Then he pulled out a lilac shirt buttoning it up haphazardly and tied the maroon tie with expert hands. Finally putting on dark converses on his cold feet and combing his dark hair into their neat parting. He slid down the banisters wondering about Cong's strange habits. Ignoring the day room he slid into the kitchen where he made himself an instant coffee and took out a blueberry muffin.

After a long draught of coffee he seemed to be more alive than before. Finishing his coffee and muffin – placing the muffin packet in the bin and leaving the dirty mug in the table for the house help to clean up when he left for training. Heading up to the bathroom he sprayed himself with Lynx brushed his teeth with the minty toothpaste leaving his breath smelling like Mrs Jones' checking himself in the mirror Alex headed down the stairs to the shooting range which he knew was the first lesson of the day.

He came down just in time to head round to the range with Lisa, an African Assassin. They had barely arrived when the shooting instructor arrived. The instructor was a small, blonde, blue eyed German, whose parents had been supporters of Hitler during their youth and passed on their beliefs to their only son. Kurt Dietrich was one of the best shooters in the world – second only to Alex. This made him detest the young spy having no idea that the only one who outranked his shooting skills was in his class. Of course Alex was underplaying his skills. The class assembled picking out the weapons they favoured – in Alex's case a small revolver. They assembled their various guns then ran the course. Alex was seventh finished. He knew he could be first finished but he had to act lesser than he was but getting better every day. Two weeks ago he had been fifteenth finished and just yesterday he had been ninth finished. Karl, a dark haired Australian, finished after Alex giving him an icy stare (yesterday he'd been one better than Alex and know he was worse). Alex gave him the same look. Kurt nodded to them all congratulating Alex on his progress before dismissing the lot of them for lunch.

Sitting in the dining hall Alex looked around from assassin to assassin. The Calberg twins and Harry Clark disappeared upstairs. Karl the surly Australian sat stabbing his beef with unnecessary force glaring at Alex the whole time. Alex was under no doubt that he was wishing that he could be giving Alex the same treatment. Alex gave the middle man a grin before returning to his curry not missing the look of death he was getting. Lisa sat by the window with Doctor Three's guide torture open on her lap eating her salad. The English couple, Mr and Mrs Jones, were eating there bolognaise making eyes at each other. Three assassins were making fun of the couple – how like high school Alex though shaking his head. You had the geeks – Lisa. Then there was the unsocial –Harry Clark. The suck up girls who thought they were too good for everyone one – The Calberg twins. There was also the permanently the angry one – Karl. The couple that just couldn't get enough of each other were also here – Mr and Mrs Jones. Malagosto even had its own bullies (who were currently bullying Mr and Mrs Jones) – Nigel, Hussain and Irish Kev. He knew that there were a couple who could be counted as jocks (currently outside doing press ups) – Steve and French Kev. There was even a prankster – Austrian Frederick. Then there was the three unnoticed girls - Alex didn't even know there names. One was a red head with green eyes. The other was a dark haired, dark eyed, tanned girl. And the last was about ten years older than the other two with silver hair and deep blue eyes. Alex had never heard any of them talking, even going as fat to wonder whether they could speak English. Then there were the teachers the attentive headmaster – Josh. The arrogant one who thought he was a god – Herr Dietrich. Then there was the biology teacher or here botany teacher who thought that the whole world was all about Botany – Rosa Pina. Then there was the eccentric ninja from Nepal who used to be a professor in Japanese at Oxford – Professor Belbase. Then there was the super strict but very informative bombs instructor – Mr. Bright. Then there was the hand-to-hand combat master who was Russian and fun loving – Master Zotkin. Then there was the knives master who let them get on with it, as long as they didn't kill each other it was fine – Lucy King. Though thinking about it Alex doubted she'd be too put out if they did kill each other. All in all Alex had come to realise that in Malagosto that high school had never ended.

That afternoon they were told that their botany lesson had been cut short. Rosa seemed rather disgruntled by this saying that she couldn't care too much what Llewellyn had to say Botany was far more important. Alex guessed that this would have to be Anwyl. After all he mused Llewellyn wasn't a common name. Alex made up his mind, following Rosa glad that she wasn't the ninja master stealthy and sneaky. Glad that he had explored the place top to bottom when he'd first arrived here, again, careful to take note of all the cameras and sensors so was able to avoid detection. Alex slipped into the Director's chambers after Rosa glad of the alcove that he had noticed when Josh asked him to have a talk on his first day here. On the hard, metal chairs that surrounded the glass table sat twelve people. There was Anwyl one again dressed immaculately in green at one end of the table. Beside him was a bald man dressed completely in white apart from a black bow tie who Alex didn't recognize. On his other side was the corrupt police officer Alex remembered from two weeks ago. Beside the man in white was Stanley his taxi driver – Alex's breath hitched but rationally he knew this man couldn't have told where he went to school. All he knew was where he was going to the airport but if they "ran" into each other here this could spell disaster for Alex. Stanley could tell them that he worked for MI6. Alex was going to have to be careful that he didn't bump into him. Opposite Stanley was the young man that Alex had knocked unconscious while stealing the jet. Beside him was Professor Belbase who seemed to realise he was being observed and was glancing around warily reminding Alex of how he was when SCORPIA attacked his school – Belbase was good. Opposite Belbase was cheery Master Zotkin who had a bottle of vodka in his hand. Beside Zotkin was Lucy King who seemed to be asleep on her table, very professional Alex almost snorted. Opposite Lucy King frowning at her lack of conduct was the strict Mr Bright, dark curls falling around his chubby face. Beside Bright looking less than impressed about being away from her precious plants was Rosa scowling heavily. Opposite her Kurt Dietrich sat leaning on his chair calmly looking, as per usual, as though it was his own personal playhouse not his bosses. At the other end of the table was an empty table. Alex guessed that this was for Josh as all the other teachers were here.

Walking down the stairs to the director's bedroom was the director himself who moved around to his end of the table. Alex had to suck in his breath as he moved passed him. When the last member of Malagosto staff sat down everyone sat up, all the faces becoming emotionless and Alex wondered how much of their personalities they had faked.

Anwyl began to speak, 'ah Josh you made it?' he said lazily.

'Yes,' the director said coolly, 'to what do I owe the pleasure?' he asked the man that Alex knew was the head of two major crime gangs (Alex had read his files on his iphone) Alex thought in a very rude way.

This was obviously not unusual to the man who called himself _The Serpent_ as he gave the older man a smile before saying two words that turned Alex's skin to ice, 'Alex Rider.'

The tension here was tangible, 'vat about vim?' scowled Dietrich in an arrogant way that only Dietrich could.

'He's disappeared off the face of the map,' sighed _The Serpent, _'which means we cannot use Three to kill him.'

'Three?' asked White (which is what Alex had christened the man in the white suit. 'I thought Rider killed him?'

'Chong Three who is the son of the doctor who's after revenge for his father's murder. Seems to have inherited his father's skills,' said Josh and Alex almost smiled knowing he had inherited his father's skills.

'What do you know of Rider's disappearance, Hall?' asked _The Serpent_.

'Nothing and I don't know anyone who does,' scowled the man in white – Hall.

'Does anyone?' asked Josh who Alex knew was a professional psychologist, 'I mean he could be very angry at the attack on his school and teenagers can be reckless. Could he have gone AWAL on his pursuit for revenge?'

'He's done so before,' agreed Hall and Alex stifled knowing that they were referring to his time with SCORPIA, 'but I don't think so – on the day he disappeared he came into his office but he never returned.' This was what Alex needed the man "Hall" was the traitor.

'Does anyone know anything?' asked _The Serpent._

There were no answers 'what about you Stanley – you're Rider's driver,' Hall stated and Ale could have groaned. Stanley shook his head looking terrified and Hall leaned forward, 'are you sure about that Mr. Evans?' he asked and his voice set shivers through Alex's spine, 'because if you're lyinging well I'm sure we can find bit's of your daughter – what's her name? Oh yeah it's Sofia to give you.'

There were laughs at this and Alex who had seen a lot was disgusted – blackmail. His heart went out to the broken, sobbing taxi driver and it took all his strength not to go and help him. 'I don't know anything I haven't seen Rider for months the only person I saw on that day was a young spy called Cong Guan, please don't hurt Sofia,' Alex wished he could take back Stanley's last words.

'Cong Guan's a spy?' asked _The_ _Serpent _angry that the teenager had managed to trick him.

'Yes sir,' sobbed Stanley glad that something had happened to make the assassins.

'But he was in Boston at that time,' growled _The Serpent _who had checked all the reports.

'I don't know please let me see Sofia, please,' cried Stanley.

'Silence,' yelled Kurt taking out his gun taking the safety lock off and pointing the weapon at the crying man's head.

'Don't kill him,' said _The Serpent _in his thick Welsh accent, 'we still need him. So we have a traitor in our company. Find him and find out who he is and what he is.'

'I don't think we need to look that far,' said Bellbase.

'Vat vare vou talking about,' snapped Kurt Dietrich.

'I've had the feeling we're being watched since the moment I walked in and I think I found them – Josh there's an alcove behind you.'


	14. Tourniquet

Tourniquet

The large hands of Joshua Davis reached in and pulled Alex out where he was held and no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't get free of the tall man's firm grasp. This was when he remembered know matter how nice he may appear to his students, like Alex, this man was a brutal assassin well famed for leaving his victims with a paw print brand on their fore heads so that his murders could be recognized as his own. At first his work was known as the work of _The Brander. _Then he was caught by the police but he never got to prison because SCORPIA had paid off several high ranking officers to hand over the killer. He was then trained to be one of the best killers in the world. Right up to the day he was forced to retire when he got shot in the foot. Remembering this Alex stomped on his foot. Josh let him go swearing in Native American.

Alex practically dived out of the door but was came upon by two guards who had stopped anyone entering after Josh entered looking at the Chinese young man in surprise they knocked him unconscious before Alex had time to react.

Alex woke up in a cell which smelt of damp and he hoped that they were not going to repeat Venice again. But looking around he could see that the water levels would only reach up to Alex's knees. He tried to get up but then he realised he was tied up with plastic cords. Damn he thought – if it were ropes he could do a Houdini, if it were chains or handcuffs he could pick the locks. But with the cables he was stuck tight. Then two men entered: one Hall and the other was _The Serpent _carrying the emerald topped cane he knew that he needed if going to stand for any great length because of his old knife wound just above his left knee_._

'I must say the accommodation isn't all up to the standard I was expecting,' joked Alex softly, 'if this is how you treat your friends I'd hate to see how you treat you enemies.'

'You're not Chong Three are you Alex?' Alex froze so they knew who he was, 'oh yes we know who you are. You see when Josh's guards brought you down here we decided to check your DNA with those in our register,' Alex could have groaned. Of course they'd have his DNA thanks to his treasonous episode at the age of fourteen. 'Well I know why you're here I believe your wondering who the traitor is who managed to poison your back up and give us detail on where you go to school? Why don't you meet my friend - Ricky Hall.'

'So a right dick?' asked Alex a smile playing on my face and earning him a slap across the face by the turncoat.

'Now let me tell you a story –'begun _The Serpent._

Alex fake yawned, 'let me guessing you're going to tell me about how awful your childhood was and how you became an assassin to get back at those who made your childhood hell.'

'Not quite,' smiled _The Serpent._

'Shame,' said Alex sarcasm heavy in his voice.

'Hit him,' said _The Serpent, _green eyes flashing in rage at the teen's insolence. The hit was on the other side of cheek and quite a bit harder than before. 'Now with each comment I'm going to ask Hall here to hurt you more, he doesn't like you see. You may know that the only reason he turned traitor was because of you.'

'Can I talk, sir?' asked Hall getting a quick nod from the man. 'You see I, like you, was the best of the best. Since your father died I was rising quickly through the ranks the only one better than me was Ian Rider – your uncle.'

'I know who Ian Rider was since he brought me up,' said Alex coolly and Hall punched him roughly in the gut.

'Shut it,' growled Hall, 'when Ian Rider was killed by Gregorovitch I was sure I would become the best in no time. You see my mother hated being second best. Okay she was in the opera and wanted me to be the best in the opera. But the point still stands so I have never wanted to second and I believed if I worked hard enough I could be the best. But then _you _came,' he said interjecting just enough venom into the "you" to make Alex understand how much Hall hated him. 'I was shunted aside once again because of the Riders and I knew that you were always going to be better than me, effortlessly. Unlike the rest of us who have to work damn hard to even scratch you standards. Everyone was talking about the teenage spy, the last Rider. Looks of an angel and tongue of a devil and that was it I knew I wanted nothing to do with MI6 and joined SCORPIA.'

Alex was furious how could they blame him? Maybe he was brilliant but that was just because he tried to help others. It was hardly his fault he'd is whole life by Ian. 'So basically your just a bitter old man that can't stand that there's a child better at his game,' earning Alex three slaps to his face, five to the gut and a couple of kicks. Groaning and trying not to show that he was weakening he glared at the two men. Alex was actually scared for the first time in ages – no back up and no gadgets (he couldn't touch his iphone which was in his jeans pocket) tied up with no escape.

'Now I'm sure your wondering what I'm up to,' smiled _The Serpent. _'And I'm going to tell you.'

'Of course you are you always do,' muttered Alex. Hall kicked Alex again rubbing his fists together menacingly.

'When my father kicked me out when I was younger than you – fifteen to be exact. About the time you decided to become a full time agent, I believe.'

'Is this going anywhere?' asked Alex cheekily earning another blow to the head.

'Now then I joined the gang known as _Serpentine's Revenge_. I worked my ways quickly up through the ranks until I became the figurehead. A prestigious title for a seventeen year old I can tell you.'

'Is it too late to send a "Congratulations on Your Promotion Card"?' asked Alex fake-innocently that no one saw through and Hall decided was worth two kicks to his stomach. Alex wondered if by the end of this he would be physically sick but left that to worry about later.

'I even earned my title of _The Serpent. _Now under my leadership I changed _Serpentine's Revenge _from a gang of young hard heads to a hardened criminal organisation. We dealt with firearms dealing, people smuggling, drugs, torture, murder – everything. We were second only to SCORPIA. But of course when you're in my business it is inevitable that you will be noticed by MI6.'

'Why didn't they stop you?' asked Alex coolly.

'They tried,' said _The Serpent _smugly and Alex felt a thrill of foreboding rush through him. 'We were still recruiting of course and I met this young girl – Bella – street kid, she had no second name, only called Bella as she was born under St. Bella's Cathedral. By the age of five she had run away from her orphanage. She was twenty-two when I met her and I was twenty-three. I fell head over heals in love with her.' Alex mimed vomiting and _The Serpent _who looked angrier than anyone Alex had ever seen proceeded to pulverise the teenager. Still seething he continued looking very much as though he wanted to kill the teenage spy. 'Oh yes I fell in love with her but one day I became suspicious of why she disappeared every so often. I followed her.'

'You know there's a word for people who follow there girlfriends,' said Alex, 'let's see what is it, again? Dick you can help.' He got a punch in the gob this time, 'oh yeah I remember – a – stalker,' this time _The Serpent _showed hit him three times on his front with his emerald topped cane. Leaving Alex wheezing on the floor by the time he was done.

'I saw her talking to grey eyed man who was glancing around warily I heard enough to realise who she was. The next day I confronted her about who she was. She, of course, denied it spies always do – as you would know. But I tortured her and she admitted it after ten minutes – not as hard wearing as you I'm afraid. Arabella Longe but as I had no further use for her I shot her in the head. I can't say it was painless for either of us.'

'I have the strange feeling it hurt her more than you,' said Alex drily, 'she did die.'

'Never say that again,' snarled _The Serpent, _'she broke my heart,' hitting Alex hard enough to make him see stars.

'Lot's of people get there heart broken but that doesn't mean they turn into killers,' spat Alex, 'oh yeah I forgot you were already a killer!'

'Yes I was,' agreed _The Serpent _a lot more calmly. 'But I vowed to have my revenge for MI6 killing the only person I've ever loved! I would destroy MI6. And recently I hatched a plan –'

'To talk us all into insanity,' muttered Alex and Hall slapped him again.

_The Serpent _ignored Alex, 'I wasn't able to do anything without help.

'You mean Dick?' asked Alex and Hall growled launching himself at Alex in a fury of attack to his face. Alex knew he would have one hell of a shiner tomorrow.

'Yes when Richard here decided to switch sides I was able to slowly get him to apply James Bright's explosives through various important locations within MI6 itself. Richard would blow the building high sky and "accidentally" survive. He of course being one of the highest ranking spies in Britain would become the Head of MI6. With all of MI6, Scorpia and _Serpentine's _revenge we could easily get rid of Blare and have our own man voted in. Once we take over Britain it would only be a matter of time before the whole world followed.'

'Nothing like aiming high,' said Alex coldly noticing one major flaw in Anwyl's plan. He barely even felt the cane come crashing down on the top of his head until he felt the blood pooling on his shoulder.

'But there was still one problem –'

'What?' Alex spat out blood at the assassin and ex-spy knowing exactly what it was.

'You,' said _The Serpent _coolly, 'you see –'

'I'm higher in MI6 than he is and as I'm still in school you couldn't just blow MI6 up at the designated time,' then it hit him and he felt his blood boil in fury, 'so that's why you attacked Brookland,' he stated coldly.

'Yes indeed, Alex. It was quite ingenious except for the fact you escaped,' _The Serpent _looked quite put out by that fact.

'Ha,' muttered Alex under his breath and was slapped again.

'But that's besides the point we have you now so the plan is going to be put into effect at midday tomorrow,' Alex paled thinking of Ben, Smithers and Mrs Jones. Hall gave him another kick and left the room slamming the door shut, 'the question is what we are going to do with you Mr Rider?'

'Throw me a party,' said Alex sarcastically and getting a whack in the shins by the cane.

'No,' murmured the assassin and his whole face lit up. Alex knew whatever his plan was it wouldn't be pretty. 'I believe you've been tortured before, by the boy's father you were pretending to be even.' Alex felt his insides turn to mush not again was all he could think, 'yes the students need to learn how to torture anyway so we'll use you. You even have knowledge which may be useful. Goodnight, sleep tight you're going to need it.'

With that cheerful thought _The Serpent _left Alex to his dark thoughts. He had till twelve tomorrow to stop MI6 being destroyed. He had till twelve to stop the whole world being under a madman's control. He needed to get out of here now. But he was still tied up.


	15. The Great Escape

The Great Escape

He was then led along the corridors, still in his bindings so he couldn't even attempt to fight against the two guards that were leading him silently. Alex really hated these kinds of guards who were unable to speak in English, silent and stony faced. And could kill without mercy or compassion; completely loyal to their employers – in this case SCORPIA. The guards then proceeded to remove all his items but his clothes, for this Alex was truly grateful. He didn't think he'd ever get over the time when the IRA were convinced he was hiding explosives under his clothes, paranoid as they were, and had him remove all his clothes.

Alex was flung into a prison cell still in the plastic bindings feeling the panic build up inside him; never before had everything looked so hopeless. It was completely pitch black he had no idea where he was or how to get out of here. When there was a soft touch at his side. The hands felt small and feminine and were picking at the wires coiled around his arms. Wondering if this was a form of psychological torture he stiffened.

'Hey calm down its okay I'm going to get the wires off – at least you'll be able to move in here,' said a soft, warm voice but sounded scared. Not that Alex could blame the girl.

'Who are you?' asked Alex.

'Sofia,' replied the girl. Alex was just able to see the dark glint of her eyes as he got used to the not quite pitch blackness of their cell; there was a slither of light from the corridor outside. Alex could see that there were at least two guards from the different pairs of shoes that paced in front of the door – one a pair of Greek sandals and the other Nike trainers.

'Stanley's daughter?' asked Alex.

'Do you know my father?' she asked softly.

'Yeah,' said Alex.

'Is that why I am here,' she asked and Alex could here the desperation in her voice for something familiar, 'but what could they want with a taxi driver's daughter?'

Alex felt his heart go out to her she had no idea what she was in for – that her father was a driver for MI6. In a way Sofia reminded him a lot of him at fourteen. Alex suddenly felt the bindings come loose as Sofia managed to get him out. He went to the door and inspected the door. It was completely metallic, the lock too. Inspecting the lock he could see that it was a dead bolt. Looking around Alex he checked to see if there were any cameras. He found one under the toilet seat, which disgusted him considering that the occupant of the cell was a girl.

'Do you have a pencil?' Alex asked.

'Yeah sure I was taken on the way home from school,' said Sofia sounding genuinely surprised, 'why?'

Alex ignored her and proceeded to stick it in the toilet he saw the red light blink out of existence as the camera died. Alex then turned once again to Sofia, 'do you have any thin metal objects?' asked Alex.

'Yeah I have a bit of wire from arts class, why?' she said sounding suspicious, confused, intrigued, and something else Alex couldn't quite detect all at once.

'Great,' smiled Alex even though the movement stretched the new bruises and cuts on his face.

Wincing slightly Alex took the small part of wire from the girl hoping it was enough to unlock the door. Carefully entering it into the lock which there was thankfully on this side, from when this was used as a nuclear bunker as well as he had learned four years ago, he pushed the wire into the lock. Alex twisted the wire a bit holding it firmly in the doorway. Alex held and continued to twist until he heard the lock click. Hearing Sofia gasp he pushed open the door flooding the cell with light. There were two guards as he previous expected. Nike was balancing on the balls of his feet and attempted an upper thrust to Alex's face. Not realising that Alex was the superior at Karate. Dodging the dark hair, dark eyed man he rolled under the man's legs – glad he was almost a giant – so he was now behind the man. Alex barely came up to the man's shoulders but that didn't matter he was able to locate the pressure points on the small of his back. Pressing hard enough he fell over.

Sandals was looking at Alex in shock; the kid had just knocked out his partner. Sandals was no idiot, no matter what his bosses may think, he knew that this kid was a force to be reckoned with. But he could also see his weakness the way soon as he had knocked out Nike he returned to guarding the girl. Well then he'd just have to us her to get to him. Alex stood in the doorway shielding Sofia with his body waiting for the smaller guard; not that he could be any taller – not if he wanted to breathe in oxygen. The man seemed to be deliberating standing out of Alex's reach. Alex was worried he counted on people underestimating him now that someone wasn't he was damn scared. Alex watched apprehensively as Nike took out a shotgun from the back of his Levi jeans and pointed it not at Alex. But at Sofia who whimpered but remained standing still. Alex admired her courage immensely at this but wished she would do something. Like duck behind the wall.

Nike spoke in Greek, 'Παράδοση ή το κορίτσι πεθαίνει!' Luckily, or unluckily, Greek was one of the eleven languages Alex was fluent in so Alex understood what he meant, 'Surrender or the girl dies!'

Behind Alex Sofia whimpered again. Alex didn't _think _she understood Greek but was sure that she understood what he meant by Alex's tense body language and the man's maniacal gleam as he pointed the gun at the girl.

'Sofia behind the wall,' snapped Alex.

Sofia wasted no time in obeying Alex's order just as she moved Sandals let a bullet fly missing Sofia's head by centimetres. But the objective had been achieved Sofia was safely away from the spray of stray bullets. Sandals was annoyed, very annoyed, not only had he missed but he had also managed to let his only hold over this boy who he had been warned was not to be underestimated under any circumstances. Sandals cocked the gun towards Alex's head. Alex didn't even show any surprise. Who was the kid? Sandals almost spat. What kind of teenager didn't even react when threatened with a gun? One, who'd seen guns too often, replied a voice in his head.

Alex was thinking fast. He didn't want to die and Sofia was counting on him. But with a gun pointing at him he was stuck. If only he could get closer without the man noticing him. Then he realized he still had Sofia's pencil in his hand. Taking a breath he threw the pencil at the man, which sliced through the soft retina and into his brain. The man groaned as he died sinking onto the stone floor. Sofia came out staring at Alex in abject horror. To be frank Alex didn't blame her. He remembered at Sayle Enterprise's the horror he felt when he watched Yassen kill the worker. The first death you witnessed was always the hardest he summarized. And Alex had known what he had got himself into thanks to Ian's murder. The girl was walking home from school and she ended up in this horrific situation. There was the fact too that her only ally had committed the crime not an enemy.

'You kill him?' she stared at Alex in shock and fear

'He was going to kill us,' said Alex softly.

'Who are you?' she whispered.

Alex deliberated for a second but for some reason felt himself want to tell the girl the truth, 'MI6.'

'You're a spy but you must be barely older than me,' she whispered not looking at him in fear, something Alex was immensely grateful for but whished she wouldn't look at him in awe.

'I started earlier than most come on we're going,' said Alex gruffly.

Sofia moved out into the light of the hallway. Alex was immediately struck by what he saw. She was prettier than Sabina was the thought that immediately struck him, though he mentally slapped himself for being unfaithful. She was more resourceful being able to untie a wounded boy. Even when she had seen a man being die before her eyes she still stood up to the man's killer. She was good, not wanting to see someone die even when they had been trying to kill her. Then there was the fact that she had done something few people had done – seved his life! Usually he was the one saving other people's lives. Alex knew that he shouldn't be thinking these thoughts not when he had a girlfriend back home. But he couldn't help it. Maybe it was concussion from being hit over the head so many times, he certainly feeling light headed enough while looking at her. Maybe it was teenage hormones. Alex may be a super spy but he was a _teenage _super spy making him a hormonal disaster. After all she was very good looking! Not like Bonnie was. No hers was a softer look. She had dark curly hair, frizzy from her days in captivity. She had bright brown eyes, a little red rimmed from crying, but showing her compassionate nature. Her dark skin hugged her slender frame. She was small, Alex noticed, almost a head shorter than he was but that just increased his desire to protect her from the evils of the world – like he wasn't. Alex decided whatever he was feeling he would ignore it until the world was saved – emotions complicated everything.

Gesturing for her to follow him the two teenagers crept along the corridor. Alex scouted the way, disabling every camera they came to and hoping there was no other sensors that he could not see. He was pleased to note that Sofia didn't question him just followed him almost silently. To other people they would say she was being completely silent but to Alex's finely tuned senses she was making quite a bit of noise. Of course the same could be said about any assassin. But there was no way to teach her to be any quieter, that thing only came with practice. And Alex hoped against hope that she never had any reason to become practiced. While walking up the stairs of their cell he noticed that there was no other cell, apart from the torture chamber that he had originally been held in, so he wondered where Stanley was. He hoped against hope that he wasn't in there. But then he supposed that Stanley wasn't going to run off not with his daughter in the cells.

Alex was glad it was evening and all the students were in their lessons. Moving as quickly and quietly as he could with Sofia they got to the other side of the island where he knew that there was a small boat that new students were taken to the island in. Glad that his uncle had taken him rowing when they were in Egypt when he was ten. A little disappointed that Sofia had never learned to row Alex decided it was quicker to just row himself. Rather than have to teach Sofia how to row and then allow her to build up the stamina to keep up with him. Thinking of how Ian had taught him this skill Alex was still amazed at how through his uncle's training had been – and how much use it had been! Of course there was a major difference – there always was. In this case he was rowing on his own, carrying a passenger, in the dark of night with people after him who wanted to capture and kill them. That's forgetting the fact that in a few hours a mad man would be in control of MI6.

Alex began to peddle taking in huge strides glad that he was physically fit enough to handle that even if it did strain his already aching muscles from the abuse they had taken. They were only ten meters away from the shore when the alarms at Malagosto began to ring out in piercing sounds as the whole island seemed to flash bright red. He heard the sound of angry cries as they realized that their prisoners had escaped. Alex still peddled on ignoring this while behind him the assassins prepared to come after them. This stopped being possible when the private sea-plane with its own machine gun arrived. Alex could see Kurt Dietrich his face agleam at the prospect of shooting the only person in the whole world who was a better shooter than him standing with a sniper's riffle pointing straight at him. And unfortunately Sofia too who had gone pale looking at Alex hoping that the teenage spy would be able to get her out of there.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sofia screamed. Alex did the only thing you could when faced with three bullets coming at them. Alex dived into the Adriatic Sea, pulling Sofia unresisting with him, still warm from the Venice sunshine a few hours earlier. He still had one oar in his hand from where he had been rowing seconds before hand. The other hand was clutched to Sofia keeping her with him and down. The little rowing boat capsized because of the bullet holes Dietrich had put in it; the small boat had quickly filled with water. _The Serpent _having heard of Alex's trick in the Australian outback flew close to the dark blue sea glittering with the reflection of the stars in the night sky. The two assassins wanted to check if Alex in particular really had died. He did have a knack of surviving the impossible.

The seaplane got close enough for Alex to touch. So Alex held onto the floats pulling himself up once again glad that he had a lot of upper bloody strength, it had come in useful so many times. Once up he lifted Sofia out of the water and onto the float under the plane's main body. _The Serpent_ and Dietrichlooked from the capsized boat to the oars but were unable to see anything in the dark sea.

'Kurt unleash the machine guns!' growled _The Serpent _from the cockpit.

'If, vich I doubt, ve children vare still alive vey von't be for much longer,' Dietrich vowed. Alex felt Sofia shudder under him.

Alex was glad that he had chose for them not to stay in the water; as where they had been barely seconds before was hit by cascades of bullets that not even Alex could dodge. _The Serpent _and Dietrich had obvious decided that Alex and Sofia were dead; not that Alex blamed them for this over sight. If they had been in the water they would have died! The plane began to turn back to the Island and Alex knew he had to direct it away otherwise they would be back where they had started. Alex knew what he had to do. Alex motioned at Sofia to stay here. So leaving the girl clinging to the metallic connectors Alex pulled himself up the metallic outer rim. Luckily Dietrich had not closed the open door so he slipped inside the small sea plane. Dietrich stood inside the doorway looking at Alex as though he'd seen Alex's ghost. Which Alex supposed at the man had thought he'd killed Alex, in his view he was seeing a ghost.

'You're alive,' Dietrich growled at Alex.

'Obviously,' said Alex in a cool voice.

'Kill him,' growled _The Serpent._

'Gladly,' said Dietrich pointing his gun at the teenager.

Alex promptly kicked the gun out of his hand and watched as it went skidding under _The_ _Serpent's _seat. Dietrich growled angrily and Alex could almost here his thought processes. If he couldn't shoot his rival then he would strangle him. Alex tensed waiting for the man to charge.

One. Dietrich looked like he was trying to get a grip on his emotions. Alex was sure this was because he knew as well as Alex did that emotions got people killed in their line of work. He seemed to get a grip on himself – however tenuous. Sofia on the outside of the plane was waiting for something to happen. Waiting for when the totally hot spy would do something to save her, again. _The Serpent _hoped Dietrich would kill the boy soon so his plan would come to bear fruits.

Two. Alex gave Dietrich a huge cocky grin wanting to bate him into the action that Alex wanted him to display. Sofia's arms were getting tired. _The Serpent _was wondering what was taking Dietrich so long.

Three. The man was back to wrestling his emotions while the cocky little twerp smile insolently back at him. He decided that Rider would pay for his cheek. No matter the consequences! Sofia hoped it wouldn't take much longer, she couldn't hold on for much longer. But she couldn't help but wonder why nothing had happened yet from what she had seen of the Chinese spy she knew he never wasted anytime. _The Serpent _was angry at Dietrich for allowing himself to be riled by Rider.

Alex counted to three. Then, as Alex expected and wanted, the red haired German growled at the teenaged spy. Leaping, fists clenched, planning to pummel the annoying brat as hard as he could, wherever he could the older didn't notice as the teenager quickly moved aside. Alex and Sofia watched as the German fumbled in mid air trying to get a grip on something, anything. Alex thought it was comical, almost like watching a cartoon. Sofia was pleased that something had finally happened. This meant she would be able to come up as soon as Alex had dealt with the driver. His hands grazed the metal bar. But he continued down wards bumping his head hard enough to knock him unconscious on the underside of the plane.

Alex and Sofia continued to watch as the dead weight of Kurt Dietrich sank into the dark and lethal looking water. Alex had no doubts that Dietrich wouldn't wake in time to stop himself from drowning. But found he couldn't care less – it was kill or be killed after all. Sofia hoped the man didn't die. Whatever he was he didn't deserve to die – prison but not death. But looking up at the spy, dark hair whipping in the moonlight she knew that this was a false hope. _The Serpent _of course had noticed what had happened. The strawberry blonde haired man had leaped out of his seat causing the unattended plane to tilt dangerously. From inside the plane Alex and _The Serpent _heard a girl's scream. Alex's stomach clenched hoping that the plane's precarious position didn't cause Sofia any harm.

_The Serpent _sneered, 'it seems your little girlfriend is in trouble!'

_The Serpent _took out two throwing stars and chucked one at the teenager missing his ear by a millimetre only because Alex had moved his head at the last possible second. It had embedded itself in the framework of the small aircraft. Making the decision to grab the weapon Alex moved quickly to avoid getting the other star chucked at him. But he still had to duck when it came soaring towards his head. But he had done it! Now both ninja weapons were his. Alex promptly chucked both at the assassin. One hit him in the heart, the other the eye. He slumped over the steering wheel and Alex realising he had pressed too many buttons and the plane was on a one way course to the sea (burning) all the way. What was it about Alex and things ending up on fire? He cursed his own luck and hoped that Sofia had the sense to get off the burning plane.

Outside Sofia felt the metal begin to heat up and with a yell let go of the plane ending up with a splash in the dark water. Two seconds later she heard another splash beside her. Looking, hoping it was the spy and not the scary green eyed man who'd brought her here. Relief. It was the other teenager. Who was shouting urgently at her.

'Can you swim?' he shouted.

'Yes,' she shouted back.

Who couldn't? But not wasting her breath the two tired teenagers swam to the Venetian coast.


	16. Tik Tok

Tik Tok

Fifteen minutes later they washed up on the shore of Venice. Panting, exhausted from their previous exertion. Alex put an arm around Sofia pulling her up with him. Looking around he knew they had to get to London as soon as possible. Then he ran up to a passing local, carrying bread home, who looked at him shocked. Not that Alex expected anything different. Here he was sopping wet, covered in cuts and bruises frantically running over in what used to be quite nice clothes.

'Che ora e?' he asked wasting no time in niceties when asking the man what the time was.

The man looked surprised at this innocent seeming question and checking an old, chipped watch that Alex supposed was an heirloom, 'Le dieci,' he said looking at Alex in surprise. Ten O'clock Alex knew.

Alex sprinted off in the other direction towards Sofia who had collapsed on the path. Pulling up Sofia he urged her on. After all they only had fourteen hours to get to "The Royal and General" before Hall blew it up. Considering it took thirteen hours to get from Venice Airport to Heathrow. And he still had to get them across the town. Alex saw a small, white speed boat tethered up to a jetty with the keys still in it. While the young, blonde man, who owned the speed boat was deep in conversation with an old frizzy haired man. Alex pushed Sofia into the boat before leaping into it himself. Alex ignored the indignant cries of people around them at the teenager stealing their boat. Alex sped along the canals, avoiding police boats as he went. Sofia would let out a scream whenever Alex made a particularly sharp turn.

Arriving at Venice airport twenty minutes after Alex had nicked the speedboat. He pulled Sofia into a sharp run. Checking the flight times he found out that the next plane left in ten minutes. They had to bee on that flight! Alex pulled Sofia along sneaking along corridors. Picking the lock Alex was able to get into the area which the luggage was dispensed. Jumping into the truck full of bags and suitcases bumping his knee on a jagged suitcase Alex and Sofia hid amongst the bags. When a member of the airport staff opened the truck to begin loading the passengers' things Alex and Sofia hid burrowing deep underneath the suitcases. Soon as the man had turner around, and before another one came Alex had dived out of the truck pulling Sofia with him. They then stowed away in the luggage booth.

When the plane took off Sofia whimpered into Alex hating the dark. It reminded her too much of the prison cell which she had been kept in. Sofia thought she might be developing nyctophobia – fear of the dark! The sixteen year old and the eighteen year old buckled down to spend the next thirteen hours in the darkness of the luggage hold. Alex could feel Sofia's fear radiating from her so decided that he would tell her his stories, hoping that would calm her down. He no idea what made him trust her enough to tell the truth that he hadn't done since Jack died. Not even Sabina and Tom knew everything that he found he was spilling to the younger girl. Sofia listened avidly as the young man beside her told her his life story. It made her feel braver, somehow. If a fourteen year old could learn to survive like her friend, yes her friend, she knew that was what he was, then so could she.

On a private jet plane sat two men. Neither of the men talked to the other. The dark man continued to glare at the bald man whose inky eyes bored back into the other man's. Stanley unable to take any more turned around wondering where his daughter was, hating what they were making him do but caring more for Sofia than the world. Today was the first day he had ever wished he'd never been recruited by MI6. Hall was excited in a few short hours he'd have the recognition he'd deserved for thirty years. The recognition that a stupid Rider would always take from him at the last possible moment; this was why he hated Riders. Richard Hall wasn't a evil man he'd just been in the shadows for too long that he didn't care about anything anymore.

In his suitcase he carried a large supply of dynamite. It was old fashioned he knew but far less detectable than uranium. He would get there at nine in the morning tomorrow, eleven hours from now. The explosives would be set up by eleven. Then he would leave the bomb ticking. But he wouldn't get the blame for it. No. That was what Stanley D'Alton would be doing! Stanley D'Alton would be the one to place the bomb in the top secret headquarters of MI6, blowing it sky high. Hall knew the man didn't want to commit the crime; positively hated the idea of blowing up the spies that Hall was now glad he didn't _really _belong to anymore, not that anyone would know this. But to Stanley they were his colleagues, some of which Stanley counted as his friends. But, Hall knew, Stanley would do it! Hall had gone to great lengths to make sure of this fact. Because Stanley knew as well as Hall if he didn't do as he was instructed his pretty little Sofia would die.

Hall was the one to suggest to _The Serpent _five months ago, in October, to use a low down MI6 agent. Hall's original plan was to use one of the agents who could be shown the truth about MI6 and would readily turn against MI6. However, there were none. For some reason they were all bloody _patriots, _his eyes flashed at the idea of a patriot. Hall knew that he used to believe in what he did when he joined the army aged sixteen but the job and the bloody _Riders, _the most patriotic and best in business, had washed that away. So he had to go for _The Serpent's _idea so he looked up the lower employees who had unprotected family members. When dozens came up, seventy six to be exact, Hall narrowed the search to those with direct contact to his adversary. Stanley D'Alton was the personal driver of one Alexander John Rider, the boy who stole his career. It turned out that Stanley had a sixteen year old daughter (to be seventeen in July). The sixteen year old D'Alton girl, Sofia, went to school in London at Haverstock.

Three months later; on the first day after the Christmas break the plan to get the girl sprang into action. It was almost too easy to take the stupid, little sixteen year old girl. It was impossible to believe when Rider was this age he'd been a spy for almost two and a half year). Hall was a little bit annoyed Sofia had been so easy to take; Hall enjoyed a challenge.

_It was lunchtime at Haverstock School and the pupils were sitting in the large, glassy, lunch hall__ being overseen by a few of the teachers; three English teachers, a Maths teacher and the new history teacher still excited about parting her knowledge to the next generation. All the pupils were shivering in the room, the tall glass windows increasing the coldness of the snow falling outside. All the pupils were busy complaining about the lack of heat whilst trying to keep warm by pulling their dark green jumpers around them. Except one girl._

_Sofia D'Alton was not eating her lunch with the rest of the pupils. No she had let herself into the art room. There working on a model made out of wires__; the shape of a woman. The curly, dark haired girl brown eyes, was happily doing her craft shining despite having a rather haywire appearance. With a bright orange bandana wrapped around her head contrasting dangerously with the dark green jumper of Haverstock not being helped by the lime green apron she was wearing to keep the glue off, falling out of her pockets were pieces of the wire she was using; somehow she had managed to get a piece stuck behind her ear. She new her father would laugh at her for this. Sofia only had her father left; her mother having left them for a French man when Sofia was three, neither of them spoke about Elizabeth. Though Sofia did feel a lot of envy for the other children in her class who had non-dysfunctional families but she loved her father so much that this __**usually**__ made up for having no mother in the picture. The only other family member that Sofia had was her father's sister in Scotland somewhere; she used to be quite close when they lived in York as children but they both got married and moved to opposite ends of Britain and the distance made their relationship strained. Though Sofia's father still looked forward to seeing his sister every Christmas but Sofia found her depressing forever talking about her dead husband. All Sofia needed was her father because at school she had no one. She used to be best friends with a boy called Simon who she'd become close to when they were seven; two outcasts together, __**forever, **__as they always used to say. But a year ago he began hanging out with an older student. Six months ago he'd died of an overdose. Sofia sighed and wished she'd tried harder in saving her friend. _

_Staring into the distance Sofia didn't notice when a bald man dressed in the janitors' dark clothes entered. Though is she had she wouldn't have done anything thinking that the man was staff. He had a name tag and all. But if one looked closely at the name tag they would have seen the picture was one of a young, red haired man and not the bald man behind the teenager. He looked at the girl who was still staring into the distance and before she could react he had her in his strong grip. She struggled, __**pathetically, **__Hall thought, but struggling. Hall found this vaguely annoying so proceeded to talk shut her up._

'_Sofia if I press to hard on the pressure point on your neck I can kill you,' said Hall hissing softly in the teen's ears._

_Hall's words had done there job__: Sofia immediately stopped struggling. If one had been able to see her normally vibrant eyes they would only be able to say about them was the fear. Hall satisfied with this led her out of the room down the fire stairs where a conveniently parked Volvo was seated. No one would be able to tell the difference between the kidnapper's car and concerned parents picking up their children, even so the car was ditched for a white van with the teenager placed in ropes she knew she was not getting away. Sofia was so scared._

Hall looked at Stanley never having revealed his part in Stanley's daughter's kidnapping and seeing no reason to tell him now. Stanley too was thinking of his daughter's kidnapping. He got a call saying that Sofia had not turned up to afternoon Chemistry. Sofia never skipped school! The police and Stanley were called. Because of his involvement with MI6 his employers searched the country, not realising she wasn't in the country. Then a month after in disappearance, a fortnight ago, one of the high up spies: Hall. How he hated that man! Hall contacted him saying that he had news concerning his daughter's kidnapping and to meet him in the back alley. He said that it was the phone line was unsafe, well he had that right. But only because there was a traitor on the other end of the line!

When he spoke to Hall in the alley way Hall gave Stanley the diamond necklace in the shape of a S. The one Sofia never, ever took off; the one Stanley's ex-wife gave to her for her third birthday. As though she knew she wouldn't be around for much longer, but at this time she was having an affair with Jean de Luc, and would run off in a month. Stanley stared at the bald spy in horror; either she was in hospital, kidnapped, or dead. Neither were good options but he hoped against hope it wasn't the latter. In that brief conversation Hall made it quite clear if he didn't do exactly as he was told then his Sofia would be killed. Firstly he had to call off the hunt for his daughter which he did, though it broke his heart to do so. The whole world thought she and he had argued and she'd run off to his sister's. So he betrayed many spies, the one which got to him the most was Alex Rider's – no child should be involved with spies. But then again his daughter was. All so he could blow up MI6. A feeling of dread and guilt settled at the bottom of his stomach: in thirteen hours he would blow up his colleagues, his friends and the teenager. But when it was put to him it was either MI6 or Sofia. Sofia would always come first! Had done since she was born, a little slither of a thing wrapped up in pink blankets. When she wrapped her little fingers around his big thumb it was the happiest day of his life.

He was sure today was the day he was going to die.

Ten hours later a jet plane pulled into Heathrow. It was nine o'clock! They quickly exited the airport thanks to their status as spies, even if they were planning to bring it down. An hour later a black cab pulled outside a building that proclaimed itself 'The Royal and General Bank'. But the two men inside the black London taxi knew what the old, grey bricked building hid underneath the exceptionally dull surface: the secret underworld of MI6. The dark man heaved a sigh, and loaded with explosives, stood up and got out of the black cab which the bald man wearing a suit of shining white which made him look like an angel, a fallen angel, the clothes illuminating a surreal glow in the blackness of the cab. There was a cruel, cold smile on his features as he left the man doomed to die and bring MI6 with him.

Stanley got to work placing the explosives in the places which Hall had scouted out which would succeed in destroying the whole place. By eleven o'clock there was not a portion of MI6 that had not been lined with explosives in seemingly harmless places. Hall had taken the liberty of wiring in fake videos so nobody would know what he was making Stanley do until it was over. Only Hall had the real footage as he watched Stanley wire up the dynamite. By eleven o'clock he had done what he was supposed to do. He set the bomb which would create a chain reaction throughout the whole building. Then Stanley leant back in an alcove to stop anyone from stopping SCORPIA's plan. All the man could hear was two sounds that would be repeated sixty times in the next hour.

Tick Tock.


	17. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang

**00****:30:00**

The flight from Venice arrived spot on time with a perfect landing. When the young flight attendant pulled open the doors he got the fright of his life; there amongst the baggage were two teenagers. An older Chinese boy and a pretty, dark girl who was currently sleeping on the boy's shoulder but that was all he saw. As next minute Alex had taken the young man's surprise and hit him in the temple, knocking him out. Lowering him on to the staircase Alex left him and hurried to wake Sofia up not wanting her to get arrested, and have that mar her chances of getting into art college; which she had told him she wanted to do in a couple years.

Sofia grumbled but allowed Alex to pull her along into the front of a truck where she promptly fell asleep again. Alex allowed himself a smile before he drove as fast as the truck would go (sixty miles an hour). Alex was well aware of the dangers of driving so fast in such a small enclosed place. But he'd been in worse situations. Looking at Sofia he was pleased to see that she was completely unaware of the danger. Despite the dangers a small smile played upon Alex's face at the look of peace on the sleeping sixteen year old's face. But turning back to the runway as the police began arriving. Alex reached the attendants' lounge and pulling Sofia out of the truck; steadying her as they landed on the concrete. Alex pulled her into the lounge.

**00****:25:00**

Looking at the large black and white clock Alex almost swore when he realized they only had twenty-five minutes until MI6 fell, followed by the rest of the world.

'STOP!' yelled several policemen at once.

Alex dived out of the attendants' lounge into a crowd of school children in jeans and tees where he and Sofia could loose the police. But Alex didn't stay there, intending to leave Sofia safe and inconspicuous there. Alex was on the move again not noticing that he was being followed. Sofia did not want to stay safe she wanted her hero. Alex had got to the doorway, before he realized that Sofia was behind him. Spinning around the face the pretty girl Alex briefly forgot the latest end of the world scenario.

'Sofia,' he cried, desperately.

'Spy-boy,' returned Sofia not noticing how Alex's eyes swerved around at her introduction of him, worried that someone would hear her and suss out who he was.

'Stay here,' he whispered looking into her piercing brown eyes which melted his heart, 'please,' he begged, 'I couldn't bare it if something … something happened to you, Sof., please.'

'No,' said Sofia her eyes shining with tears and face pale; obviously terrified. But at the same time standing tall and strong her back straight showing Alex that she was not going to back down.

'Please,' Alex tried once more time.

But Sofia grabbed him by the face and they snogged like there was no tomorrow; which there may not be. Briefly at the back of his head he thought of Sabina but he knew that Sofia was the only thing in his head at the present so ignored it and broke apart. Alex knew as soon as they broke apart that he could no way say no to her wanting to come. They were too alike Alex realized.

**00****:21:39**

Hand in hand Alex and Sofia ran out of the Airport. Alex looked around for a car in which could take them to Chelsea in twenty minutes. His eyes immediately fell on the police fast cars that the police had left when hurrying to stop the stowaways. He ran with Sofia's hand in his pushed her in the passenger seat before leaping into the car himself. Switching on the emergency sirens the two teenagers were able to drive a hundred and twenty miles an hour down the streets with other cars hurrying to get out of their way wondering what was going on to need such speed; not able to see inside the car's tinted windows and realize that there were two teens inside.

Alex ignored when the police radio started beeping asking them to explain their actions and telling them if they didn't stop now they'd not only be arrested for being in the country illegally (Alex snorted at this one and Sofia smiled – they were back in their home city after all), stealing (if Alex went to jail every time he stole something he'd never be out), assault (that would be the flight attendant) but also for stealing police property (well he'd never done that before). They were then told that if they didn't stop now they could be permanently removed from the country (they were from Britain). Looking at Alex he hoped that he could convince MI6 to let her go, they owed it to her father really.

**00****:16.31**

'Maam,' said Mr. Crawley rushing in without knocking for once unprofessional and showing emotions, stress.

'John?' said Mrs. Jones always the one to use first name terms, 'what on earth is the matter to cause such a display?'

'There's been an incident, near Heathrow,' he said sounding flustered straightening his Marks and Spencers' tie.

'And what may I ask has it got do to with us?' she asked sharply.

'Two stowaways arrived in the luggage from Venice,' he stated more calming combing his hair with his hands.

'Venice?' Mrs. Jones said eyes shining with understanding, 'Alex?'

'Yes Maam,' we have a visual he said handing over a picture printed from the CCTV in Heathrow.

'Okay John what is Alex up to and who's the girl he's kissing?' she asked crisply briefly sounding like an over protective mother instead of the Head of MI6.

'The girl is one of the low level employees' daughter – Stanley D'Alton: her name's Sofia. She's sixteen months younger than Alex and went missing in January but a fortnight ago D'Alton told us she'd been living at his sister's since January, after a family row, and we stopped searching,' reeled of Crawley.

'No that doesn't make sense,' murmured Mrs. Jones to herself. Knowing if her children had run away to her sister, Lily, who was unmarried and childless she would have called straight away to stop her worrying. Of course, Crawley who had no siblings or children would miss this and he was in charge of personal.

'Then why did he lie?' asked Crawley.

'Because his daughter _was _kidnapped,' nobody could here the pain in her voice but it was there Stanley's daughter's situation reminded her of her own children (Tony and Blaize) who were killed when she physically couldn't persuade Blunt to release a few SCORPIA agents. Her heart went out to the man before wondering what had he done whilst fearing for his daughter's life. Then looking closer at the picture of her adopted third child and she sighed Alex had been captured and hurt, she couldn't see how much but he was covered with bruises. 'Something's wrong he obviously couldn't contact us but what's going on to make him have to stowaway.'

'I don't know but it's bad – he's joy riding in a police car with Miss D'Alton,' he said frowning, 'at a hundred and twenty miles an hour.'

Mrs. Jones frowned, 'get onto the police tell them they're with us and to keep civilians away!'

'Yes Maam,' he turned to walk away.

'And John which direction is he heading?' she asked planning to send back up that way.

'Here,' said Crawley turning and leaving. Mrs. Jones continued to stare at her deputy in shock.

**00****:09:54**

Alex arrived at MI6 with less than ten minutes until it went boom. Turning towards the other teenager he shouted at her well aware that he was wasting precious time. But not caring; he just didn't want her hurt.

'Sofia get out of here if you aren't far away in ten minutes you'll die,' he stated.

'So will you,' she said clinging onto the boy.

'It's my job,' replied Alex.

'And I love you,' she responded.

Alex stared at her in shock not sure how to respond to her pronouncement. How do you respond to a declaration of love from a girl you're willing to cheat on your girlfriend with. Alex decided he'd do a James Bond and snogged the girl forgetting the rest of the world. Forgetting Sabina. Forgetting MI6. Even forgetting the rest of the bomb. Breaking away after a long snog; Alex was amazed. Alex who could forever tell you the precise measurements of everything around him which annoyed all of his friends along the way, for once could not tell you how long the kiss had lasted. Alex and Sofia went in, no longer holding hands, but united in their stand against SCORPIA. Sofia hoped to find her father after all this trouble.

**00****:06:01**

Richard Hall was angry, very angry. Their plan had been so perfectly executed: Stanley and Sofia D'Alton, the dynamite, Brookland, everything. But Alex Rider just had to ruin everything! He always did! All Riders were the same. But this wasn't the problem just now. The problem was how Alex Rider and Sofia D'Alton came to be in MI6. He had to contact _The Serpent._ Brining out a modern, black touch phone and entered _The Serpent's_ number; all he got was _The Serpent's _answer machine.

'I am out killing some time, please call me back later.'

Hall frowned not liking this. If his thirty years as a spy had taught him nothing it was to listen to his instincts. And his instincts were telling him something was wrong, very wrong. So he called Joshua Davis answered in his rich, American accent toned with an annoyance rarely heard in his voice. Davis was known to kill people in good humor. If he was annoyed it meant things had gone wrong, as Hall had thought.

'Davis what's got you riled?' said Hall in a cool voice.

'The boy,' said Davis with a cool in his voice that told Hall that he was annoyed.

'He's escaped?' asked Hall in a way which made his question sound like a statement, 'that's the Rider-way,' he scowled and rung off.

He knew that _The Serpent _would be dead; Alex Rider's enemies had a knack of ending up dead. By accident or design Hall didn't know. But he had to get there before Rider ruined everything. Leaving his office he raced off to MI6 headquarters.

**00****:04:39**

Alex and Sofia were racing around MI6 trying to find the bomb. They'd caused quite a stir within the workings of MI6; or at least Alex had. Sofia was at least _trying _not to knock anyone over. But Alex sent people flying all over the place in his search of the building. Then he pulled Sofia into a cream corridor which contained Mrs. Jones', Mr. Crawley's and Alex's offices along with several other high ranking spies including Hall himself. It was this thought that brought Alex to a stop. He saw a small bomb wire into the lights. Alex wondered how much explosive was wired into the small bomb because Alex was now convinced that the explosive had been placed between the walls of MI6, by Hall. Alex now set about trying to diffuse the bomb thoroughly enjoying himself.

**00****:01:37**

Stanley was shocked out of his skin when he saw the teenager he'd betrayed; Cong Guan. Not only was the spy he was sure Hall and the other assassins would have killed by not but he was with his daughter Sofia. It was the guilt about what he had done when being blackmailed that kept Stanley hiding in the alcove watching the two teens. Guan was grinning in a way which reminded him of Alex.

'A Dynamite-Two-Six-Six-Six,' said a grinning Guan looking like he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Stanley looked at the teenager incredulously unable to believe that anyone could be enjoying themselves; especially in this situation. Must be a teenager thing, thought Stanley but Sofia did not seem to be pleased about the Chinese boy's obvious enthusiasm. 'I haven't seen one of these since Cuba,' he laughed.

Sofia was wearing exactly the same expression as Stanley looking at Alex like he'd just grown another four heads, 'are you enjoying yourself spy-boy?' she asked with an incredulous expression and a small shake of her head making her curls bounce in a way that made Stanley want to ruffle her head like he did when she was five.

Stanley started at the use of the term "spy boy". Did that mean Sofia knew of Guan's double life? If so did he know of Stanley's involvement in MI6? What did she think of the lies he had told her to keep her safe since she was six and he was recruited by MI6? Did she know of his betrayal? Guan knew – had he told? For now what worried him the most was the obvious chemistry between them both, his father's instinct kicked in. He swore if he ever hurt her he'd what kill the spy? He valued his freedom too much – if he even was free after all this. He had no doubt that the teenagers would disable the bomb and even if they didn't he'd still have the blame put on him. He just wished that his daughter hadn't fallen for a boy who killed and lied for a living. But he'd accept it for Sofia's sake.

'Yup,' grinned Guan answering Sofia's question with a laugh.

'Are you mad?' she asked.

'Probably,' agreed Guan still beaming.

**00****:00:22**

Alex was disabling the bomb, with his teeth. In the absence of wire cutters he was forced to use his teeth and finger nails (this was why he kept his nails long and filed) to cut the blue and red wires. He knew it was these two wires that would effectively disable the Dynamite-Two-Six-Six-Six. But it had to be done carefully. If you cut in the wrong order then it could cause the building to blow up before hand.

'Hurry up,' moaned Sofia looking at the timer; they only had twenty seconds till destruction.

Alex was getting annoyed with Sofia. As much as he liked the younger girl he needed his concentration to diffuse the bomb safely.

'If you don't want me to blow us both up, be quiet,' he said tensely then catching her hurt expression his own eyes softened, 'I'm trying to concentrate,' he explained a lot more politely.

Sofia had the good grace to look embarrassed and promptly stopped bother Alex allowing him to cut the red wire before promptly cutting the blue wire in two fluid movements and the numbers stopped their countdown with three seconds to go.

**00****:00:00**

Hall looked at his watch then at the bank. Feeling fury rise up inside him; fury at one Alex Rider, Hall set off to MI6. Alex Rider had somehow managed to stop his bomb from setting off the dynamite. Hall briefly wondered how he had managed at it. Glad that he was just outside the radius; where the bomb would have left a creator in the middle of the street in London. Hall only lived in a flat five minutes away from the bank anyway was able to get to the Bank in record time with the roadblocks that MI6 had left for Alex to get to MI6. Leaving his Rolls Royce parked outside MI6 headquarters, for a quick getaway. Hall ran into the granite building moving stealthily to the upper levels where he saw Alex and Sofia with the deactivated bomb. Alex still had the tell tale signs of the beatings he had taken on Malagosto. Sofia looked dirty and ill kept from the two months being kept a prisoner. Both stank of the Adriatic Sea making Hall realize they must have swum to Venice from Malagosto. Only Alex Rider, thought Hall, before banishing this thought; it was too close to a compliment for Hall's liking.

But where was Stanley? Wondered Hall looking over at the alcove where he had last seen the dark man. He was still there looking at his daughter in a lot of guilt. Hall gave him a cool smile saying nothing. Stanley gave a soft shudder at the look Hall was giving him. But he looked at the spy who had pulled the girl behind him. Really it was a wasted effort; Hall didn't care what happened to the stupid girl. No he was more concerned with the one who had vanqiushed all his careful planning. He and Rider stared into each other's eyes. Hall pulled out an army regulation pistol hearing the girl whimper and smiling at this; civillians. Cowards the whole lot of them. but what he did not expect was Rider to squeeze her arm in vane attempt to comfort the simpering fool.

Stanley looked from Hall to Guan who was protecting his daughter with himself as a body shield. He hoped the teenager would come up with something impressive. Looking at his scared daughter Stanley could feel her fear rolling off her in waves. He hoped Guan would do something and save her. But he couldn't he was as paralyzed as Sofia was in fear; he was a very low down MI6 agent, nothing more than a glorified driver. He had no idea what do in this situation.

'Goodbye Alex Rider,' said Hall.

Stanley was surprised at this revelation the Chinese teen was really the angelic looking Alex Rider; the best spy Britain had to offer, lethal as hell. No wonder SCORPIA wanted him dead. Then he saw Hall pull the trigged and heard Sofia scream. Before he could quite register what had happened Stanley had flung himself in front of Alex; between the teenagers and the bullet.

Pain.

That's all Stanley could feel when the red hot bullet entered the tissue just above his heart.

Numbness.

When the bullet penetrated deep into him his senses went away. He knew that his daughter was leaning over him but he couldn't formulate the words needed to comfort her.

Breathlessness.

He couldn't breathe the blood filling up his lungs; slowly suffocating him was making him unable to breathe. Coughing up blood onto Sofia's dark green jumper he could tell that it was going to stain. He was not surprised that they hadn't let her change in two months but it made him angry none the less.

Lightheadedness.

Looking at Sofia he could see his blood forming swilrling patterns on her jumper. He giggled as she sobbed. He knew that it was the lack of blood making it's way to his brain; denying him oxygen which made him slightly tipsy but he couldn't help it. His brain seemed to be having trouble connecting.

He heard Alex give a cry of rage as he launched himself at Stanley's shooter. There was a scuffle and another bang.


	18. Starts with Goodbye

Starts with Goodbye

Alex watched as the man fell back bleeding from the neck eyes unseeing still clutching at his gun. Hall would never shoot again. From behind him he could here a sobbing girl. Turning around he could see something that broke his heart; Stanley was lying on the ground chest covered in blood, pain in his eyes, choking, and blood running down from his mouth. Sofia was leaning over him tears running down her pretty face begging him not to leaver her, too. Alex ignored his emotions and his training kicked in. Tearing off his lilac t-shirt, wishing he had something cleaner. But the only other clothes were Sofia's, who was covered in blood. Plus he couldn't ask her to take her top off. But applying pressure to the wound six centimeters above his heart he hoped it would be enough to save the man's life.

'A-Al-Alex,' whispered Stanley in a hoarse voice.

Alex and Sofia looked at each other across the man. Alex knew when a person was giving their last words; he'd seen it often enough. But he continued to fight against the inevitable placing both hands on his chest and encouraging Sofia to do the same. Sofia did as Alex told her paling as she did so. It seemed both had realized that Stanley was going to die.

'Come on Stanley D'Alton you're strong. Keep fighting, keep fighting for your daughter,' Alex ordered.

'Dad please don't leave me too,' whispered Sofia her voice would break the heart of the coldest of assassins.

'I'm sorry,' whispered Stanley, 'Alex please look after Sofia, you care for her, don't let her be hurt again, my son.' He gave the boy and his daughter his blessing the he turned to Sofia, 'I love you my child. Please tell, my sister, Natalie, what's happened. My precious princess, I'm sorry.'

He choked and his eyes rolled and Alex felt his pulse fail. Alex tried to revive the man pressing on his chest before giving him the kiss of life. Sofia clutched her chest crying. They continued like this until Mrs. Jones having got word of what had happened from Joan Hill who Alex knocked over near the lift. Mrs. Jones had called a doctor who proclaimed Stanley as dead. Sofia cried and clutched at Alex looking like she would never let the boy go. Mrs Jones led the two teenagers to her office while the others removed the bomb. Mrs Jones asked the two of them to tell her what had happened over the past few weeks (months for Sofia).

When they had finished Alex then drove them to St. Dominic's for a check over when they were both given a physical check over by Dr. Michaels and Nurse Hazel Redfern and a psychological examination by Alex's psychologist; Dr. Rosie Ward. On both accounts they were given an almost healthy profile; Alex was a little battered and told to take it easy for a while and Sofia told that she was in the grieving process but as long as she talked about it she'd be fine and left Alex with orders to make sure he ate properly. Alex nodded wondering what was going to happen to his friend. He led her to the room which used to be Jack's where she fell asleep straight away. Alex gave her a soft smile before he went for a shower.

Picking up his normal mobile; knowing that it was a Tuesday so at, he checked the time on the clock, half one Tom would be in Physics so he phoned Tom to let him know he was back.

Tom was in physics, he was so bored. Hattie kept sending him annoyed glances because he was doodling on his book instead of listening to Dr. Black's lecture on what stars were made of. Then he heard the James Bond theme tune echo throughout the room.

Alex!

He had set this when he turned sixteen at Christmas in Year eleven when Alex decided to become a full time spy. Not that Tom was surprised, not reaally. No matter how much Tom wished his friend had chose a job that did not have him risking his ife he knew this was Alex so he stood by him through thick and thin. The class had giggled at the ring tone. But Tom, ignoring them dived into his bag and pulled out a black phone.

'Mr. Harris,' scowled Dr Black, 'please put that away in class.'

'But its Alex,' retorted Tom. The whole class went silent wanting to know where Brookland's spy was. 'He's on his social phone meaning he's home,' there was a silence.

'Answer it,' called Fred who by nature was the loud mouth of their class.

'Put it on speaker phone,' instructed Dr. Black who was just as excited at the prospect of finding out where Alex Rider was as the rest of the students.

'Alex hey how are you mate?' grinned Tom.

'Fine,' said Alex in an exhausted voice that Tom was beginning to recognize as post-mission fatigue. 'Wait,' Alex began suspiciously, 'you're not allowed to answer your phone in class. Dr. Black would never allow it. I'm on speaker phone aren't I?' he stated not angrily just wearily.

The class all gaped at the phone, 'you are good,' murmured Dr Black.

'It's my job,' said Alex through the phone, 'come round after school Tom I have a girl problem.'

Hattie snorted, 'the spy has girl problems?'

Tom shrugged, 'he is a teenager.'

Alex rung off and resisting the urge to fall onto the couch and watch afternoon TV for the rest of the day completely wiped out. He remembered what Dr. Michaels said about Sofia needing to gain weight went to the kitchen to make a good, quick late lunch. Having put everything that would go off in the freezer he didn't have much in the way of food. So going through his cupboards he decided to make a good patch of pancakes with plenty of toppings; not very healthy but Sofia needed fattened up. And even spies needed a sugar-fest every so often. At two o'clock he woke Sofia up and piled her with pancakes, sugar and syrup. Forgetting that she needed to sleep tonight and this was liable to make her completely off the wall hyper; which it did.

Then Tom came around whilst Sofia was running around the garden full of sugar. He told him of the problem between Sabina and Sofia. Tom gave surprisingly good advice and told Alex to choose the one he thought he could not live without. Alex hated to admit it but it wasn't his girlfriend. He had a feeling Tom knew this. That night Alex ordered a Chinese for the three of them. Tom left them asking whether he was going to be there tomorrow. Alex said that it depended if Sofia went to school. He wasn't leaving her there along, not after everything she'd been through!

That night Alex allowed her to borrow one of his baggy tees so she could sleep comfortably, after insisting she took a bath. She hadn't washed in two months; she really stunk and he knew that SCORPIA didn't provide the greatest of hygiene and sanitation for their prisoners. She walked out smelling strongly of Alex's lynx perfume and Alex's t-shirt which showed her strong and curvy appearance, if a little thinner than normal. While she had been in the bath Alex had changed the bed that always reminded him of Jack. So she came in and fell asleep once more, even with all the sugar.

Alex left her there with a smile playing on his lips. Hopping into his jeep he drove into town to buy some food. Having already transferred what he'd been keeping in the freezer to the fridge and cupboards he only had few things left to buy, mainly fruit and vegetables. He also went shopping for things for Sofia in the popular clothes retailers, much to the shock of the shop assistants. They all thought he was buying for himself! No matter how many times he told them, 'they're from a friend.' He ended up buying a whole pile of clothes; not knowing what Sofia liked to wear. He decided that it was far easier to buy for a boy – get them jeans and t-shirt and they'd be happy. Girls wore so many different things that he just got a whole range hoping that Sofia would like _something_.

The next morning Sofia awoke to the smell of toast, bacon, sausages and eggs. Coming down to the kitchen she sat at the Beech wood table where she took two bits of toast, two crispy fried eggs, three sausages, and a couple of pieces of bacon with the fat cut off. She left half of piece of toast and a sausage. Then Alex presented her with the new clothes earning him a peck on the cheek leaving her blushing furiously and Alex more than a little bit frightened. Give him an assassin any day over than _girl _problems. An assassin all you had to do was kill them. Girls now they were terrifying! Sofia practically fled the kitchen blushing furiously to get changed leaving Alex to ponder his relations with Sabina and Sofia.

While Sofia waschaing the doorbell rang. Ben was standing in Alex's doorway smiling at the Chinese looking boy he regarded as a younger brother. He was carrying Alex's work phone and the shampoos and body washes that would wash away any last scent of the dyes used on him. He knew Alex would be too concerned about Sofia to pick up his things. Alex and Ben went into the living room. Alex was just setting up the Wii when Sofia came in like a breath of fresh air. She had opted for a dark brown skirt which came down to her ankle on one side diagonally going across the way until it was only down to her knee on the other leg. She wore a short sleeved orange tie-dyed t-shirt. Finishing the artistic look, with an orange and brown bandana pinning her dark curls behind her ears. Alex's first thought was that he'd never seen anything so beautiful. This was when Alex knew she was the one for him.

Ben was smiling slightly in an annoyingly knowing fashion at the usually blonde teen. And when Sofia happened to sit beside Alex, Ben gave the younger boy a large wink. Alex returned this with a glare using the same look he had before chucking a rifle at Grief's escaping helicopter; killing him. Sofia flinched at this look knowing Alex would never hurt her. But the look reminded it too much of the father she would never see again. When the bald man who'd killed her father Alex had a look of such rage as he killed the man in revenge more than anything. Alex seeing the memories reflected in his friend's eyes and knowing what it was like to see terrible things through no fault if your own placed a hand on Sofia's. Ben smirked knowingly at the two teenagers. Being a typical twenty-four year old man; not caring that Alex had a girlfriend in Cambridge.

After Ben left in the afternoon having had a bacon and tomato quiche and tomato, cucumber and lettuce salad with the two teenagers, Alex used Cloudy's concoctions to wash out the dyes used on him. He firstly had to lather his skin in a clear, orange smelling liquid to get his skin back to its pale glow. At the present it had a dark tan from the American and Italian sunshine. Then he lathered his skin in a thick, pink liquid which smelt of the roses it was made with. Scrubbing away he watched as the dark burns and whip marks came back. He had considered leaving the scars covered but he had enough lies in his life without making them worse. Sinking back into the water now slightly pink Alex upended a silver bottle on his head. He rubbed in watching as his hands came out with indigo dye. Getting out of the water he pulled on his grey jogger pants, white sports t-shirt and white trainers. Looking in the mirror he saw himself appear in the mirror pulling out the silver contacts. In the mirror stood a darkly, tanned teenager with blonde hair which had been bleached in the sun, there were bruises on his arms and face. The all too serious brown eyes betrayed his current happiness at having the girl he fancied living with him.

When Alex appeared down the stairs Sofia gaped at the now fair boy who'd replaced her Chinese hero. But he had the same grace and personality and was hot as always. But Sofia noticed scars on his arms showing his dangerous life style. So the days continued like this – Ben turning up every day, Alex cooking, the two lounging around the house. Then on Friday Sofia's Aunt Natalie Wood turned up on their doorstep wearing a dress of black velvet. Ben was here, too having dinner with Alex and Sofia. Alex got Natalie some of the pasta bake that the other three were currently eating. Alex noticed the woman watching the three Londoners with appraising eyes.

'So what is your relationship?' she asked directing the question to Alex and Ben.

The two shared a look unsure of how to respond – the truth? But that was ignoring a spy's primal instinct not to trust anyone! But they wanted someone to understand what Sofia had been through, especially Alex. But Sofia herself, knowing Alex and Ben's distrusting nature, took the decision out the spies hands.

'Colleagues,' said Sofia.

Natalie's eyebrows shot into her bushy, pencil-straight, black fringe, 'colleagues?' she asked incredulously. 'Alex must be no more than nineteen.'

'Eighteen actually,' said Alex smiling.

'Drop out?' asked Natalie stiffly not wanting her niece hanging around with a drop out. Just look at those dark bruises and scars on both the young men; they just had to be involved with unscrupulous activities. Drugs? Gangs? She didn't want her niece, her only family, hanging out with someone like that.

'No I still go to school,' said Alex grinning.

'Just spying in your spare tine,' sighed Sofia thinking of the lies her father told her.

'Spies?' asked Natalie weakly.

'So was dad,' said Sofia softly, 'he lied to me and then he got me kidnapped himself killed saving Alex and I,' she sniffled.

Alex put a hand on hers, 'my uncle, who brought me up, got killed being a spy. I didn't even know what he did until I investigated his death.'

Sofia gave the boy a watery smile. On Sunday Alex made them the usual full English breakfast only no one was eating much knowing that they were going to Stanley's funeral. Alex was dressed in his suit he hadn't worn since Ian's funeral. Sofia was in a pair of black jeans and a black t-shirt with a scary looking girl with a white face and blood red lips on it (an outfit Alex had chosen when out shopping for her on Wednesday night). Natalie was in a floor length black dress and satin veil. Alex drove them to the graveyard in Chelsea. Helping the girls out, they stood with a crowd of spies. Alex and Ben stood behind Stanley's only family left. Sofia had got a _text_ from her mother:

**I'm sorry, Sophie, dear. But Jean's taken me 2 Egypt. Can't come 2 ****say goodbye. Love you. U'll be happy with Natasha.**

She got both her daughter and her sister in law's names wrong. She made it sound like he was going away for a while. Not, not _d-d-dead_, she was going to have to start accepting that fact. Alex who had been watching Sofia gave a small smile to the girl who hurriedly wiped away the teachers she didn't realize had running down her face. Sofia and Alex sighed at the priest's choice of words, which was almost identical to when Ian had died. All about how Stanley D'Alton had been a patriot. Sofia was a little annoyed thinking of how wonderful a father Stanley had been and wishing this had been included in the speech.

When everyone had left at Sofia's request she stood there tears flowing freely without the presence of her father's colleagues. She took out of her jeans pocket a clay model of her father that over the week Sofia had made.

'Goodbye Dad,' she said softly finally accepting that her father was gone and not coming back.

She walked back to her aunt who gave her a quick hug and Alex stealing herself to do what she knew she had to do.

'Alex,' she whispered as Ben and Natalie looked away from the two teenagers. 'I'm going to Inverness with Aunt Natalie I'll always love you,' she said taking.

Alex by the head and giving the longest kiss that they'd ever shared. Before taking the bus to the train station heading up to Inverness to start her new life in Scotland, wishing that Alex could come with her.


	19. Over You

Over You

Alex returned to school the next day to people straining their eyes to catch a glimpse of him. Tom saw him with a huge grin not caring to much for the bruises which less than a week ago had been a horrible dark purple colour. Now they were fading to a murky brown and the cut on his head where had been hit over the head with _The Serpent's _staff. The teachers and the other pupils did not do the same.

'What on earth happened to you?' Luiza asked at Break.

Looking from the black eye to the deep cut on his head and bruises on his cheeks. Alex was lucky the Brazilian couldn't see the bruises and cuts on his arms and front. He just shrugged.

'The Welsh have furious tempers,' he shrugged not letting much slip.

Tom rolled his eyes used to Alex's mysterious statements after being friends with the spy for his whole life through school days and spy days. Hattie, however, hated riddles. She needed to know everything. And Alex had been a question since they were fourteen. Now that she had some answers she was not going to let the question slide. Tom looked on knowing that Alex was not going to answer Hattie's questions; the only one who he'd ever told the truth to (who was not a spy) was Jack. And she'd been dead for four years.

'Tell me what happened!' she demanded.

Tom rolled his eyes. Didn't Hattie remember that Alex hadn't cracked under _three_ months of physical **and **psychological torture. Did she really think she could get him to confess his deepest, darkest secrets? Just because they knew the truth now didn't mean that Alex was suddenly going to tell them all but the vaguest of statements. Especially with the whole student body and teaching staff (they'd all decided to all be in the atrium a day that just happened to coincide with Alex's return) listening. But Alex knowing he was going to have to say something gave a brilliant grin contrasting with his statement.

'I was cheeky,' he said.

But it seemed that was all Alex was going to say because he got out a book entitled "How to Learn Arabic Made Easy". He didn't say anything else until the bell for Chemistry ignoring the questions on his "girl problems". The telephone call in Physics had gone all around Brookland in record time. Mr. Pond took one look at Alex and Tom sitting at the back of the classroom and gave a start. He took in Alex's bruised façade and began to stumble on his seminar on polarity. Mr. Pond never stumbled he was the cool teacher that Tom wanted to be like: the one who looked after those going through difficult times, like when Tom's parents were divorcing. He'd tried to help Alex after he'd heard of Jack's death. But Alex naturally pushed him away. His classes were just cool filled with knowledge, jokes and demonstrations. But seeing the teenaged spy sitting there face covered with bruises and cuts. He had heard what Alex had said at break; Mr. Pond himself was a Welshman so the idea that one of his own could beat up a child, even a terrifying one like Alex was deeply upsetting.

Later that day Alex was confronted by Mr. Brey in much the same way Tom had been after Alex's latest disappearance. When asked what had happened all Alex would say was that he'd succeeded and saved the world, _again_, in a jokey voice with a roll of his eyes to throw the man off the scent. Mr. Brey wasn't sure whether or not he believed the teenaged boy but didn't say anything to that annoying smile. When asked on the bruises and cuts he grinned and said that he was captured and bashed around a bit. Mr. Brey knew Alex had had worse but that didn't make it right. By the end of the week the school was getting used to having Alex around again. The whispers were dying down much to Alex's relief.

It was the Easter holidays and Alex was driving up to Cambridge to talk to Sabina on the Friday; Alex believed in breaking up in person. He owed it to the girl who he'd been in love with since fourteen. Especially since he wanted to stay her friend; they'd been friends before he went out with her. But that didn't stop him from being nervous. He still liked Sabina as a friend but it was unfair to the both of them, especially Sabina, for them to try and keep this up. Sitting outside in the sun was a pretty dark haired, green eyed girl. Alex walked up to her and gave a soft smile. Sabina positively beamed back at him leaving Alex feeling a churn of guilt inside. Why was he feeling so guilty? He didn't feel this guilty when he killed people! Why was he feeling guilty for dumping his girlfriend to stop from cheating on her with the girl who'd won his heart rather than the girl he felt a mutual attraction, respect and friendship for?

'Sabina we need to talk,' said Alex.

'Is this the place where you tell me we can't be with each other for noble reasons?' she said in what anyone else would call a light voice but Alex could see the darkness and fear in her eyes.

'Not for noble reasons,' said Alex softly not sitting down beside his girlfriend.

'You're dumping me,' said Sabina and anyone could hear the pain in her voice.

'I'm sorry,' he said not looking into her eyes. For once the fearless spy was petrified: not of an assassin or a homicidal maniac but of a nineteen year old girl. 'I think we should be just friends. I just don't feel the way you do about me and I'm not going to lead you on.'

Sabina nodded eyes filled with tears, 'just go, Alex, just go,' she sobbed.

At the end of the Easter holiday Sabina turned up on Alex's doorstep. Alex had just returned after two weeks of SAS camp. So he was tired and hungry and more than a little grumpy. So quite understandably meeting his ex-girlfriend was not on the top of his to do list.

'What do you want?' he said grumpily.

Letting her into the house Alex put pasta on, a lot of pasta.

'Having guests and what's with the attitude?' she smiled looking slightly uncomfortable.

Sabina always had the knack of making Alex feel guilty. Maybe it was the fact that she had been kidnapped to get to him. Maybe it was the fact that he never really loved her the way she loved him.

'Sorry,' Alex said a little bashfully, 'I've just returned from camp,' he grimaced.

'Oh I forgot that's where you went on Easter holidays,' smiled Sabina.

'Every holiday,' corrected Alex, 'apart from Christmas – part of my contract is to have eight weeks neither at school or work!'

'Two weeks at Christmas,' said Sabina.

'Four weeks in the summer and the in-service days make up the other two weeks,' said Alex, 'but my time off work has been awful,' Alex shook his head. 'Summer when I was sixteen – my first holiday – I was in Brussels and I was captured by SCORPIA and tortured for three months.'

Sabina winced but allowed Alex to continue talking.

'Next summer; when I was given the all clear by my psychologist I decided to take a break on Galapagos – it's supposed to be relaxing,' he commented.

Sabina groaned she had noticed Alex's used of the word "supposed", 'what happened?'

'Well it turned out the island was being used for smuggling cocaine – I of course stopped it,' said Alex.

Sabina rolled her eyes at her ex, 'of course you did. Okay that takes you up to last summer. What about Christmas?'

'I went to New Zealand but there was a robbery at the bank as I passed. I just managed to halt their escape: didn't hurt them, they weren't even dangerous just annoying.'

'Good,' smiled Sabina appeased.

There was a strained silence between the eighteen year old and nineteen year old. Alex wondered why Sabina was here as the last time he'd seen the older girl was when he'd split up with her and she'd told him to go. But he couldn't just say that like that so carefully asked what he wanted politely.

'In my neighborhood?' Alex asked with a smile.

'I just wanted to say that you were right,' Sabina said, 'it would be unfair on me and you. But I still want you in my life – as friends.'

'Just don't think we can go out,' said Alex.

'I won't,' smiled Sabina, 'I've started going out with a dorm mate – Greg.'

Alex smiled at her happiness, 'that's brilliant! Do you like him?'

'Yes,' laughed Sabina, 'we've been flirting together for months but I thought I liked you better but he's been a great shoulder to cry on.'

'Sorry,' said Alex again.

'No I'm sorry we've been friends too long more like family than anything else it just took a break from you to realize that.'

'Sometimes you have to date your best friends to realize you don't like them,' smiled Alex.

'Wise one,' chuckled Sabina.

Sabina left the next morning. Alex feeling lighter than he had in a while wondered about Sofia: where was she? What was she doing? Did she miss him as much as he missed her?

Sofia felt her ears burn – someone was thinking of her she knew. Sofia looked around her vibrant orange room looking at her two pictures on her desk. There was one, in the forefront of a dark man with short black hair and eyes of the brightest green. Stanley D'Alton! Sofia's deceased father. Behind this one was that of a two young men; a dark haired man with sea green eyes and lots of dark hair in his mid twenties who had his arm around the blonde teenager. The teen's blonde hair was sticking up in an organized manner his deep brown eyes boring into Sofia making her feel lightheaded. The only thing that the two men had in common was the slightly haunted look in their eyes; soldiers' eyes Sofia knew. See these two young men were Ben Daniels and Alex Rider. They were spies; some of Britain's best agents. Sofia looked at Alex and wished that she could still be with him.

At first Alex and Sofia would phone each other every day, then once a week, then every so often. Until they never spoke at all but neither one of the couple that could have been forgot the other.

**There is a sequel.**


End file.
